The One Who Is Free
by Dreaming of a Black Fox
Summary: [AU] [Kakashi-centric] [TOWIB's sequel] He was given ten years by Obito when he used Ijigen no Jutsu. Ten years—and starting from the fresh age of five, Hatake Kakashi would change as much as he could until his fifteenth year when Minato and Kushina were supposed to die.
1. Aytchiphobia

**Original summary:** **[AU] [Kakashi-centric] [TOWIB's sequel] He was given ten years by Obito when he used Ijigen no Jutsu. Ten years—and starting from the fresh age of five, Hatake Kakashi would change as much as he could until his fifteenth year when Minato and Kushina were supposed to die.**

 **WARNINGS: AU, past and present psychological, verbal, mental, physical, sexual abuse of a minor, cutting, dark themes, time and dimension travel, language, violence, no yaoi, slaughterhouses, whorehouses, character death, MPD!unstable!Obito, MPD!unstable!Kakashi, brotherly!KakaObi, MinaKushi, ObiRin, SakuTsuna, one-sided!developing!KakaRin and POSSIBLE TRIGGERS.**

 **AYY I'm back.**

 **I've been inactive because of school soccer and just school in general. Spring break is passing, though, so I'll be spending lots of time on this sequel.**

 **ANYWAYS welcome to TOWIF, the sequel to TOWIB. It wasn't planned at all whatsoever. Oops. Haha. But much like TOWIB, I want to keep this story under twenty chapters with 3k+ words per, though this may or may not change. It's probable, though, because one of these chapters is a whoping 8k.**

 **ALSO: TOWIF will be significantly darker. I intend to make this story the opposite of TOWIB in a certain sense.**

 **Original word count: 3.7k~**

 **Recommended songs: Saika, Last Resort (Original & Eliminate remix) by Papa Roach, 3rd Planet by Modest Mouse, Prayer of the Refuge by Rise Against, Savior by Rise Against, I See Fire by Ed Sheeran.**

 **Enjoy! :3**

* * *

 _C hapter 1: Aytchiphobia_

* * *

Bright, contrasted colors blending in and out of dark edges and spots. Vignette turning into sharp neon, no shadows. There was no lighter or darker. A mere solid color was what he saw. Then the darkness came, and it flashed to a bright white color that was pushed away by the hand of a child.

Dark eyes were rubbed by baby hands, confusion tightening the young chest of the boy. "What are you doing…"

The click of a flash light turning off made him look up. The room was dark. But the surrounding windows showed that he was in a kitchen, broken glass by his foot. Rain dripped and rammed on the glass, winds howling and shaking the world outside. Thunder flashed, lightning cracked and the sound shook the glass.

The boy flinched, his eyes darting left and right across the room with anxiety. The sound of thunder always managed to scare him no matter how high his guard was, and it seems that it will forever remain that way.

Large hands pulled him into a hug, the owner falling to their knees and keeping the boy close.

The boy blinked in confusion, silver hairs getting in his eyes. He noticed the silver hair that got into his face—the headband, the flak jacket…he knew who it was. His lips pressed together under his mask, a warming happiness spreading across his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from flowing, the icy fingers of his best friend thoroughly brushing through his silver locks before disappearing.

"I'm sorry…" the man sobbed. "I'm so, _so_ sorry…"

The boy opened his eyes, pushing away from the man. He stood on his feet and looked up at the man with an innocent confusion. "Why are you saying sorry?" he asked.

The man's dark eyes were puffy as tears continued flowing down his cheeks. A hand covered his mouth, his eye brows creasing deeply with sadness. He slumped forward, a hand remaining on the boys shoulder.

Another flash—another boom of thunder, another unconditional flinch.

"T-tou-san…" he murmured, his small hand reaching out. "…Tou-san…?"

The man's shoulders were shaking, but as he lifted his head, the shaking slowly came to a stop, dark eyes red and tears staining skin. The man smiled. "I'm sorry," he said again. "You're scared of the thunder, aren't you…?"

The boy slowly nodded, his hand noticeably shaking. The man took it, his arms open for a hug. The hug was accepted, and the iced dark eyes of a dead man looked straight into the boys.

 _"You have a decade. I expect you to use those ten years wisely."_

The boy smiled up at the dead man, tucking his face into his father's chest. Yes, yes…he would use the years wisely. He was good at long term plans like this. Perhaps not as stretched as ten years…but he would adapt and manage.

He was Hatake Kakashi, after all.

* * *

Kakashi was a chilled out man. His candle light was burnt out, though, in all honesty, and dying at the age of fifty wasn't much of a surprise. He truly thought he would die in his thirties—and he almost did—but, _no_ , he would remain as alive as a newborn thanks to Nagato.

He was feeling more alive than ever, just sleeping next to his father on the latter's futon. His smile was constant and lively.

But it faltered when he remembered how he got there. He used Ijigen no Jutsu, and Obito saved him and pushed him to the end of the jutsu from the afterlife.

And here he was, in his father's presence as a five year old.

Kakashi rolled over, Hatake Sakumo suddenly sitting up. His breathing was quick and his shirt was soaked with sweat, which was most likely a result of a nightmare. Kakashi sat up as well, gently tugging his father's sleeve. "Tou-san…"

Sakumo swallowed and turned to look at Kakashi. His eyes were glassy, but it was blinked away as he completely turned his body towards his son. "What is it?"

Kakashi wanted Sakumo to stay. And while he hasn't looked at a calendar just yet, it was alarmingly easy to tell that tonight was the night Sakumo had full intentions of dying. Kakashi would stay right where he was for as long as he could, as long as he wanted, and would remain at his father's side until the darkness was lifted—or, at the very least, until some light was shed on the man. He blinked. "Why were you shining a flash light in my eyes?" he asked.

"Oh…well, you were having a seizure," Sakumo explained. "I don't know how it happened, but you were unresponsive for a while and it worried me a lot. I had to check your response to light, so I shined a flashlight in your eyes."

 _A seizure?_ Kakashi echoed. He frowned. "I don't remember having a seizure," he said.

Sakumo stared at him. He beckoned for his son to come closer, and when the latter did, he was snatched into a hug.

"Ew…you're sweaty," Kakashi grumbled.

Sakumo chuckled weakly. "Am I, now, aren't I? Should I take a shower?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No." _Can't have you dying on me…_

He smiled again, kissing his sons crown. "You're awfully clingy tonight. What's wrong? Don't tell me you had a bad dream. Or did you?"

That would be a good excuse. He closed his eyes, an icky feeling rising in his chest and taking hold of his lungs and his heart. He reopened his eyes in slits, his hand grabbing Sakumo's thumb and tracing the lines of age. "Yeah…"

"Oh? And what was it about?"

"…Well…" Kakashi paused, feeling his chest tighten. He felt himself get choked up when he suddenly remembered the scene of his father's death—the position, the blood, the weapon…and then there was the reason. Sakumo had killed himself partially because he couldn't bare the shame and depression, but the other reason was because he didn't want to drag Kakashi through anymore shit. It didn't really work—in fact, it barely ever did work, and the only thing that went away was the discrimination. The shame didn't, and Kakashi had to keep that shame for decades.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sakumo asked in a surprisingly fatherly voice.

Kakashi blinked. "I had a dream where you died," he said. He paused, wanting to continue, but he couldn't. His throat was too dry and he couldn't manage to think straight. His father's death seemed to still be a heavy scar, despite him knowing for sure that he healed the past wound. Perhaps it reopened. And he actually thought he would be able to stop the emotions from spilling, but it seemed that he was very wrong. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face in rivers. His voice shook as he spoke. "Y-you won't d-die on me, right…? You won't leave me…will you, tou-chan…?"

Sakumo was very quiet. He pressed his face into his sons crown, tears of his own piling up and spilling. Sometimes he keeps forgetting that his son is only five, as mature as he is. He wasn't proud of it. What kind of father thought that leaving his child behind would be okay? It wasn't. It was far too selfish and he knew for sure that he wouldn't see his wife because he would just feel too guilty to face her. He smiled, though, rubbing the back of his sobbing child's head. "Of course not."

* * *

A pale man with short, spiked dark hair was walking through the corridor of the Hatake compound, his footsteps silent and his presence passed off as a chill in the air. He wore a black, long sleeve pullover and Konoha shinobi pants, black zori accompanying the outfit. Fingerless gloves covered his hands, the right side of his face wrinkled with pale but broad scars.

His ebony black eyes were plain, but they were exploring and dragging from left to right. He stopped when he spotted a peculiar entrance. He stepped in front of it. poking his head forward.

A kunai instantly raced towards his head, but it harmlessly whizzed through his head and tore through the paper, hitting the hallway wall with a thunk.

"Kakashi!" Sakumo called. "What was that?"

The young Hatake blinked and stared at the man for a few seconds before glaring. "I saw a rat!" he replied.

The door slid open, Sakumo stepping through the smug man like he wasn't there. Sakumo raised a peculiar eyebrow. "We don't have rats," he said. He looked around, shivering for a second before looking back at his son.

" _No_ —I saw a rat," Kakashi insisted.

"I would know if we had rats."

"I _hate_ rats."

"Now, now…" Sakumo chided. He exposed the kunai, his eyebrow raising a little bit higher. "Why do you have _my_ kunai in _your_ room? You know I don't like that."

The man smiled in amusement, stepping into a corner as an invisible bystander that only Kakashi seemed to notice.

"Um…precautions."

"For what?"

"Um…the rats."

"We don't have rats!"

" _Yes_ —yes, we do! I saw one!" Kakashi leaped up from his bed, rushing past Sakumo and into the hallway. He pointed up to the ceiling. "Right _there_! I saw it right there! Its fur was black and it was really, _really_ fat!"

The man in the corner sucked in his cheeks like a fish to stop himself from laughing at the indirect insult.

"I highly doubt rats can walk on walls," Sakumo dead panned. Though, when he stretched his senses, he could feel the presence of an ANBU. He frowned a little, but kept it at a minimum. ANBU typically passed by to deliver messages, or to summon him, via walls and ceiling. The compound was made like that—for some reason.

Kakashi whipped around and pointed his finger at his father. "But what about _rat summons_?!"

Sakumo stared. "Now you're just rambling," he said. He tucked the kunai away, staring pointedly at his son. "You ruined your door, too."

"I'll fix and reinforce it to keep the rats out!"

"No—you're gonna take a bath. You stink."

Before Kakashi could move towards his room, Sakumo pushed him down the hall towards the bathroom. "Do I _have_ to?"

"Yes, you do. I'll make some lunch while you do," the eld Hatake said.

Kakashi stared blankly, unmoving and stiff.

"What? Do you want to go out for lunch?"

"No…"

"Then hurry along. I have some work to do, as well, y'know."

"You haven't worked in three weeks, tou-chan."

"Hush, child, and take a shower."

"You said a bath."

"Just— _please_?" Sakumo gave a ticked smile. "You're being difficult this morning."

Kakashi giggled and rushed off to the bathroom, enjoying the fact that he was still a child. He stepped into the bathroom, closing the door and turning his head towards the wall where the man stepped through as if he wasn't there.

The man smiled. "So I'm a fat rat, now?"

Kakashi crossed his arms and glared. "You suddenly appeared like a rat."

The man looked annoyed. "I'm not a rat," he snapped.

"Well, you act like one," Kakashi snarked. "Can you leave? I need to take a bath."

"You're _actually_ gonna listen?"

"Yes, Obito, I am. Now, shoo."

"Yes, my demanding Lord and King," the one and only Uchiha Obito replied sarcastically. He turned away and left through the same wall he came through, the temperature in the room becoming a tiny bit warmer.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully, and started the water.

* * *

Obito followed Sakumo.

The eld Hatake was pulling out some bentos from the fridge. He warmed them up and put them on the kitchen table, leaving a note for Kakashi that stated he was going to the Hokage's office, and that he might be back in an hour.

An ANBU was waiting at the entrance of the kitchen. "Are you ready, Sakumo-san?"

"Yes." Sakumo turned and followed the dark haired ANBU.

Obito reached out and touched a strand of Sakumo's hair as the man turned, though, which made him disappear. Sakumo instantly stopped and shivered, looking over his shoulder towards the empty kitchen.

"…Sakumo-san?"

The Hatake turned back around, shaking his head and following the ANBU out of the compound before they started using Shunshin no Jutsu to travel towards the Hokage's office by the academy. They made it in under three minutes.

Sakumo looked at the ANBU. "Can you keep an eye on Kakashi while I'm gone?" he asked. "Please?"

The ANBU stared. But he nodded, breaking away the instant the eld Hatake entered the hall that lead straight to the Sandaime's office.

Sakumo still felt chilly, goosebumps continuously running up and down his back, and it wasn't until he was granted entrance into the Sandaime Hokage's official office did they vanish.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the said Hokage, smiled, lines of laughter and stress creasing and deepening. "Good to see you, Sakumo-kun."

The Hatake bowed respectfully, sitting in a chair when Hiruzen beckoned him to do so. "It's good to see you too, Hokage-sama," he replied.

"How are you?" Hiruzen inquired.

Sakumo blinked and smiled in assurance. "I'm doing fine." But that was a lie.

"That's good to hear," Hiruzen said. "What about your son? Little Kakashi, if I recall correctly…"

He nodded. "He's doing fine right now, but he…well, it's a bit of a story. Do you have time?"

"More than enough as of now."

"This happened just a few hours ago, but it was very early in the AM. I was in my work space, as usual, and I heard glass breaking in the kitchen," Sakumo explained. He frowned. "It turns out that he was having a seizure."

Hiruzen chewed on his pipe in concern. "I trust that he is fine, now."

The Hatake nodded. "He is. I'm taking him to the doctors office tomorrow."

"What else happened?"

"He broke the glass with raw strength for some strange reason," Sakumo said, keeping his voice somewhat quiet. "Glass shards got in his palm, and he ended up picking them out with his bare hands."

Hiruzen blinked in surprise. "That's…"

Sakumo nodded in agreement to the reaction. "The wounds healed up seconds after the glass got out," he continued. "It was phenomenal."

Hiruzen stared. "How come you never reported this earlier?"

"Kakashi fell into an emotional breakdown twice—or… _something_ ," Sakumo explained. He frowned sadly. "I…I'm actually not sure about what to do."

The Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and sighed. His expression was pinched tightly with thoughts and contemplation before he hummed to himself. "Take a week of leave," Hiruzen said. "Spend time with Kakashi. If you're needed any earlier, I can have another shinobi stay with Kakashi."

"Who is it?"

"He's young, only thirteen and on the road to fourteen, but he's trustworthy. He's also got Uzumaki Kushina as a best friend, so she'll be accompanying during her large amounts of free time," Hiruzen replied. "His name is Namikaze Minato. I'm sure you've seen him a few times before, and I'm sure he'd do good with your son…"

Obito tuned out of the conversation. Things were already changing dramatically. He wasn't sure how it would affect their future, but he only could look ten years ahead as to how it could.

He left the room, and made way back to Kakashi. The young Hatake was in the kitchen, eating the bento and reading a book. He looked and stared at Obito for a few seconds before looking back down at his book. An ANBU was looming around the perimeter of the compound, circling around and stopping by the kitchen to check up on Kakashi. Obito remained silent until the third time the ANBU circled around, which took about fifteen minutes. So, in total, it took the ninja five minutes to check the entire perimeter.

"Your father just told Hiruzen about what happened yesterday," he spoke.

"So?" Kakashi murmured.

"I had to possess your current body to drag your soul in it," Obito pointed out. "So your healing abilities sped up. Last night you had glass in your hand, and when I possessed you your human limits lifted and monster strength shattered the cup you had. Glass shards were embedded in your hand so I had to pick them out on the spot without any tools. Your wounds healed—and apparently your father witnessed almost all of this."

Kakashi paused and sighed, letting it all sink in. "So you screwed up," he mumbled.

"Not completely. You don't remember it at all—and it can be checked," Obito replied. "Possession causes a gap of memory because it's the possessor who is consciously and subconsciously processing just about everything."

The Hatake turned the page. He heard the door suddenly open, and the ANBU's presence disappeared in a jiffy.

"Kakashi," Sakumo called.

The said child brightened up and leaped out of his chair. He exited the dining room and rushed down the hallway. "Tou-chan," he said happily.

Sakumo smiled at his son. "Did you take your bath?"

"Yeah," Kakashi replied. "I was reading and eating."

"What were you reading?" Sakumo asked as they made way to the kitchen.

"I dunno."

"You don't know?"

"Yeah. I just found it and decided to read it."

Sakumo chuckled and picked Kakashi up, letting the child rest on his hip. He sat down, pulling Kakashi's bento towards its rightful owner. He grabbed his own bento, and started on it. "That sounds like something you would do," he said absently. "I was given a week of leave, so I get to spend some time with you."

Kakashi brightened significantly. He looked up at his father. " _Seriously_?!"

The eld Hatake nodded. "Yup."

He looked down. One full week with his father…that didn't seem like very long to most, but forty-five years of nothing but missing him seemed to have left a larger hole than expected. Keeping Sakumo alive and grounded to life was expected to be difficult, and by keeping the man alive as long as possible, not only would he be changing future events dramatically but Kakashi would be silently attending to old scars that were infected by time.

"So? What do you want to do? We have quite some time to spare."

One place that Kakashi found himself to be missing was Ichiraku's, but that place wouldn't be opening for another five to six years (unfortunately). So he settled for a shrug. "I dunno."

"What about Ichiraku's—oh wait never mind. Ignore me. I'm talking shit," Obito said.

"Oh! You know what's one thing I wanted to do?" Sakumo asked rhetorically. "I wanted you to watch a training session between two chūnin."

"Chūnin? Why?"

"Your grades are excelling wonderfully. At the rate you're going, little one, you'll probably graduate in a year or two," the eld Hatake explained. "I can tell that you'll get to the rank of chūnin in that exact time, too, so I want you to see what it's like to be one up close and personal."

"Oh, okay. So who're the chūnin?"

"One of them is Namikaze Minato. I hear he's pretty good for his age. He's only thirteen, and Hokage-sama is thinking about giving him a jōnin promotion," Sakumo explained. "The other chūnin is Uzumaki Kushina."

"Uzumaki?"

"Oh, have you heard of them?"

"Well…yeah," Kakashi said. "We learned about them in the academy. But weren't they all killed three years ago?"

"There are some survivors." Sakumo continued eating. "They're also going to be the people who look after you when I'm gone during missions."

That caught Kakashi's full attention. Kushina and Minato— _babysitters_? He gave a side glance to Obito, who raised his shoulders and hands in a shrugging "I'm clueless" universal motion. "So they're my babysitters?" he asked.

"Pretty much."

"I don't need babysitters," Kakashi grumbled. "I can take care of myself…"

"The fat rat can testify," Sakumo shot back, which in turn made Obito laugh with agreement.

Kakashi's ears went red with embarrassment. What was supposed to be an insult towards Obito turned into a sheepish memory for the young Hatake. "Wh-whatever…"

Sakumo laughed. "They're free right now, matter of fact. Hokage-sama said that we can find them in one of the training grounds," he said. "Do you want to go now? They might not be able to do it again anytime soon."

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

"Are we sure?" Obito suddenly questioned. His cold fingers gently dragged through Kakashi's baby soft silver hair. "It might be too soon for you."

"Go ahead and get ready, then," Sakumo said.

The young Hatake nodded and leaped off of his father's lap, rushing into his room. He slid the door closed behind his back, his head looking at the spirit of his Uchiha guardian friend. "I can take care of myself," Kakashi murmured. "Old habits die hard, though. So help me if you can."

Obito nodded, phasing out of the room.

Kakashi was quick to slip on a new shirt and shorts that had a shinobi tool pouch tied around his right thigh. He slipped his zori on, putting his favorite green scarf around his neck. He adjusted the mask on his face, and exited his room. He stepped back into the kitchen, where he found his father deeply thinking as he washed dishes that were already clean. He frowned a little. "Tou-chan?"

Sakumo blinked out of his daze. He looked at his son, turning the water off. "That was quick," he said with a smile. He swiped his hands clean. "Alright, then, let's get going."

Kakashi was given a piggy back ride, which was enjoyed all the way through the village.

Honestly, no matter how much he talked, he couldn't drown out the voices of failure and sadness. He failed Kushina. He failed Minato. And he failed them because he failed Obito through failing Rin.

Failure was a scary thing. And to face failures that died because of another failure that could have been prevented…it would shake him to a certain degree of emotional death.

He tucked his face into his father's shoulder. Would he break down crying—just like he did with Sakumo?

…Or would he stare numbly pretending that he was in the Mugen Tsukuyomi again…?

* * *

 **A sequel, you see. For real it is.**

 **¿ ¿ ¿ Like, I know what I'm doing? I'm perfectly fine? I can manage to make this not confusing ? ? ?**

 **Well, I also learned that Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Obito and Rin are in the same generation. A generation is ten years apart, and both Minato and Kushina are eight years older than Team Minato…but Kishi fucked that up…**


	2. Eisvoliphobia

**HybridTrash13: Yay! Haha. Changes are drastically visible already, because time is a sensitive thing. Characters are introduced ten time earlier than canon and such, while some might be introduced a little bit later. Yeah Kishimoto did a shit job at the timeline. Minato would've have to die at twenty-six or twenty-seven when he actually died at the age of twenty-four…sigh. The ObiRin and KakaRin pairings are most definitely not permanent. After much thinking and more writing, I've decided not to make it official. Thanks for your review. :3**

 **I'll be updating this story like I updated TOWIB: On weekends or Friday's, with the rare occasion of a day or so earlier.**

 **Original word count: 5.5k~**

 **Recommended songs: I See Fire by Ed Sheeran.**

 **Enjoy! :3**

* * *

 _Chapter 2: Eisvoliphobia_

* * *

Arrival was abrupt.

Kakashi practically remembered it as a blur. He just sat down at the base of a tree, studying the moves of the duo chūnin—Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Some moves were sloppy and too unrefined, but corrected at the last millisecond and improved through more use. His own thought process sped along as quickly as the fight progressed, red wind flashing by yellow spikes with the sparks of metal hitting metal flying about.

Sakumo was watching along with his son, interest sparkling in his eyes.

Kakashi was interested as well. He knew that Minato and Kushina were damn good. But he's never seen them fight as intensely against each other, and frankly he was impressed. For their age, they were advanced. Typically a thirteen year old chūnin would barely know how to move with such fluency no matter how many battles they fought during a time of war. That was why so many ninja died during the three great wars. The fourth was more mellow in that area, since rank didn't matter.

"Watch closely," Sakumo suddenly said.

Kakashi stopped thinking about the wars, and stared at the fight.

Kushina jabbed her kunai way too far forward. It left multiple openings that Minato could hit. That was what the blonde did, too. He side stepped and grabbed her wrist, his kunai about to reach her back. But the kunoichi ripped out of his grip with alarming strength, twisting around and slamming her palm into Minato's nose.

"Ow!" the Namikaze cried, his hand instantly covering his bloodied nose. His eyes were squeezed shut and when he opened one of them, he rubbed his injured nose only to wince. "Um…Kushina-chan, I think you broke my nose…"

"Good! That just means I win and it shows dattebane!"

Kakashi sucked his cheeks in, keeping a perfectly straight face best he could. He stood up and looked at his father. "That looked like an irrational version of a Hyūga move," he said.

"Uzumaki taijutsu uses palms," Sakumo explained. He smiled. "Force, too. They would often print seals on their hands and transfer those seals over to a target. It's quite simple for them, but to an average shinobi it takes years to master."

"So if Kushina put a seal on her hand, she could've actually landed a fatal hit," Kakashi finished.

Sakumo gave a thumbs up and a toothy grin that looked very much like Gai. "Correct-O!"

The young Hatake almost cringed heavily, but the reaction was cut short when Obito suddenly dropped from the tree branches above. "Uzumaki taijutsu looks very much like a defensive mechanism," he explained, "but it's not. That's partially why Uzumaki are so feared. They deceive. Of course, taijutsu wasn't their strong suit so anybody who wasn't fast enough to turn the tables while revealing openings will get hurt or die because that was what Uzumaki taijutsu was all about."

"Minato, come on over here," Sakumo said as he branched away from his spot. "Let me check."

Kakashi stepped out of his spot, too, Obito somewhat hanging back. Kushina shivered as she tucked away her weaponry, as did Minato. _Why are they so cold?_

Sakumo examined the broken bone, backing away when he finished. "Nothing super serious, it should heal quickly. Though the cut might scar," he said.

"That's fine," Minato grumbled. "But it hurts…"

Kushina giggled. "You're such a sissy," she teased. She pulled down her sleeves that were rolled up prior. "It's getting cold, though dattebane, and I don't like it."

Minato nodded his agreement, keeping his head tipped up. "Should I go to the hospital?"

"You're _fine_ ," Kushina snapped. She rolled her eyes. "It's just a scratch."

Kakashi giggled happily. Their interaction never truly changed, and he was so glad that it didn't.

"Let's stop by the compound, then," Sakumo said as he patted his sons head. "I've got some medical supplies you can use."

Minato nodded in agreement.

"I didn't know you were invested in the medical field," Kushina chimed as they turned away and started to walk towards the Hatake home.

"I had a friend who taught me some neat tricks," Sakumo explained. Kakashi raised his arms silently, and the man picked him up, allowing him to rest on his back. "She was a really good teacher, so I learned things quicker than I thought I could."

"What's your main profession, then?" Kushina inquired.

"Ninjutsu, kenjutsu and taijutsu. Primarily ninjutsu, though. Kenjutsu is way more secondary than taijutsu, but I do know some other things in multiple other subjects. That includes fūinjutsu."

"Mine is taijutsu and fūinjutsu dattebane. I know plenty of ninjutsu, though…"

Kakashi rested his head on his father's shoulder, closing his eyes. He stopped himself from falling asleep multiple times, but he gave up when Obito's cold hand touched his shoulder.

* * *

"I think you three will become good friends," Sakumo said as he arrived back from getting the said medical supplies he had.

Minato took them with a gesture of thanks. "You can tell?" he asked.

"I can. He managed to fall asleep around you two," the Hatake pointed out. "He only does that when he trusts people like they're family."

Kushina blinked. "That was quick. We barely even spoke to each other."

Sakumo smiled nostalgically. "He's like his mother in that same way," he said. "She followed her instincts as an extreme individual, and I've seen those qualities in Kakashi more than enough."

"He looks a lot like you, though…" Minato pondered.

"He's got his mother's face."

The blonde blinked, his hand still hovering over his bandaged nose. "Why does he wear a mask?"

"Mama."

"Oh. But why would she want it on?"

Sakumo shrugged, looking away and down at the medical supply box. "Beats me. It's like a second skin now."

"Am I the only one who's on the verge of freezing?" Kushina suddenly chimed in sharply. She was sitting on the dining room chair, hugging herself and shivering. "Autumn is relatively warm here, y'know, so it doesn't need to be _this_ cold in the house dattebane."

" _Excuse_ her," Minato said apologetically. He had a nervous, ticked smile, obviously fearing a bad second impression.

Sakumo frowned, waving the edginess off completely. "It's been set at room temperature," he stated. "It shouldn't be as cold as you think it is. I've been getting minor chills, but that's it."

Obito, who had been eavesdropping for the fun of it from the kitchen and dining room entrance, blinked. He sighed. "You're awfully sharp today, Kushina-chan…" he murmured rhetorically. "But that would make sense. You _are_ a jinchūriki, after all…"

Kushina glanced in Obito's general direction before turning towards Sakumo. "You should get that checked, if that's the case."

"I got it fixed last week, though," Sakumo pointed out. He laughed a little, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "Money wasted, perhaps?"

"Most definitely dattebane."

Obito smiled in amusement, turning away and walking down the hall that lead towards Kakashi's room. He arrived at the entrance a turn and a minute later. However, he didn't even need to step forward for a kunai to race through his chest—right around the area of his heart. Naturally, the kunai phased through his form. So instead, the weapon splintered through the wooden wall behind, some pieces of wood actually falling out of the wall.

The Uchiha grinned in amusement. "Oh boy, you've done it now," he said.

"Kakashi," Sakumo called. His head poked around the corner of the turn the hallway. Kushina's head poked around, as well, Minato simply just stepped into the hallway, his hand holding a tissue that was bloody from a nose bleed. "Why are you throwing kunai?"

Kakashi pushed his door open, his hair somewhat messy and his eyes still droopy from sleep. He glared pointedly at Obito before going to yank the kunai out, which Sakumo took the instant he used Shunshin no Jutsu to leap to his sons side. He raised a criticizing brow.

Kakashi blinked, his ears going hot and his cheeks becoming pink with embarrassment. "I-it was the stupid rat… _again_!" he said.

"We don't have rats," Sakumo pointed out.

" _Clearly_ —"

"We _don't_."

"But I _saw_ it, tou-chan!" Kakashi insisted. He rushed up to the wall, his hand pointing up to the wound in the wall. "It climbed up there!"

"Well, if you keep making holes in the wall then _actual rats_ might as well move in," Sakumo shot back. He sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "If this keeps up, I'll be using your allowance money in no time."

"We can use branches, then."

The eld Hatake tried his hardest not to laugh, because when an adult (or an idol) laughs around a child—or, really, anybody in general, they'll keep doing it. So instead, he pressed his lips together and pinched his nose. It was so very obvious that Kushina was giggling behind him along with Minato.

Kakashi giggled into his hand as well.

Sakumo gave in, smiling in amusement. He chuckled. "If that's the case then why don't you show me?" he asked. "I'd like to see that."

Kakashi ran past him. "Just watch! I'll make it!"

"Wait for me dattebane!" Kushina called, jogging after the child.

Minato smiled and waved at Sakumo, rushing after the red-haired kunoichi and leaving the eld Hatake behind with the spirit of Obito.

The Uchiha stepped forward, but he stopped the instant Sakumo slashed the kunai through his chest. The man shivered, pulling his hand away with dark eyes that practically looked straight into Obito's eyes.

It was scary, and instantly Obito knew that he needed to steer as much distance as he could from Sakumo.

* * *

A full five days with Sakumo made Kakashi almost lose sight of his objective. It was very nice: Quality time, very memories made, bonds of this dimension formed…he could've listed plenty of more things, but two days were cut off.

Sakumo was needed on the front lines.

Their last night was spent sleeping in the same room, though Kakashi kept waking up with violently shaking limbs and just streams of sweat because he kept having anxiety dreams.

It was four in the morning when he gave up. But that was when Sakumo rose, as well.

"You didn't sleep, did you?" Sakumo questioned.

Kakashi's hands were shaking. He was afraid that his father would take this chance and die easy—to commit suicide on the battle field and cover up the fact that he wanted to die. The traveler wouldn't allow it though. Obito managed to land him right on the day Sakumo chose to commit seppuku—Kakashi stopped him, though, with the events of an injured hand that healed in seconds and a seizure.

Sakumo picked Kakashi up, holding the child close to him bridal style. He kissed his sons crown, leaning his cheek on a sweaty forehead. The eld Hatake honestly felt so pathetic. Kakashi's nightmare would've come true almost a week ago, and the trauma he was witnessing could've been permanent if that happened. He was Kakashi's only family, and as guilty as he felt he actually was mere seconds away from going through with it.

"Don't worry," Sakumo reassured. "I won't die. I'll come back unharmed, and then we can do whatever again."

Kakashi buried his hot face into his father's chest. He honestly didn't believe those words. He would follow, or send a Kage Bushin after his father to act as a meat shield if necessary. His father's life was, currently, his highest priority and being revealed was one of his least concerns…but it would be thought over nonetheless. He gripped his father's shirt with a deathly grip. "Promise…"

"Yes. Yes—of course. I promise; I'll come back alive."

The young Hatake felt some sort of relief hearing that. He sucked in a deep breath, feeling Obito's large, cool hand in his limp and small baby hand. The relaxation remained, his breathing evening out. His grip loosened and fell, and it was at that very moment that Sakumo knew his son had fallen into a reassuring slumber. He put the child into the futon, pulling the blanket over the boy and standing.

Sakumo stepped over his son, his legs getting sudden goosebumps when he made it to the other side. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking around the room. He turned around, taking a few steps back from the futon with a guarded look. The coldness went away instantly.

A dark figure fluctuated into view, showing a pale skinned man with scars across the right side of his face. He wore all black, and had ebony black eyes and a raven shade of black hair.

But he was pretty much glowing, and that was what made Sakumo hesitate. He couldn't feel the man's presence, and the said man was very still—much like a statue, matter of fact.

The eld Hatake reached out, aiming to touch the man's shoulder, but his hand went straight through. He yanked his arm back in alarm, his eyes wide.

The man smiled, his scarred lips parting with amusement. His eyes narrowed and he almost grinned like a madman. "Did you know that nightmares come from the outside world, Sakumo?" he asked rhetorically. "The nightmare Kakashi had was on the night you almost committed seppuku. Whatever strong vibes of sorrow you gave off he picked up, Sakumo. He was so traumatized after that dream. You should be thankful that he forgot a majority of it… _Sakumo_."

Sakumo blinked, a lump forming in his throat. His face went blank and he could feel a headache coming.

"He told me about it, too," the man continued. "He was the one who found you dead, on your side, with a pool of blood surrounding you…he was crying in his sleep, and if it wasn't for the loudness of the storm and your mental breakdown, his screams of horror and sadness would have been heard, Sakumo. Did you know that, Sakumo? Did you know that his anxiety dreams, clinging and anxiety bursts are because you're selfishly drowning in shame, _Sakumo_?"

The eld Hatake snapped out of it. He glared. "What would you know?" he asked as he kneeled a little, his hand creeping to grab a nearby kunai stashed away.

"Plenty," the man retorted. His ebony black eyes turned and looked straight into Sakumo's. "I'm merely a spirit. But a spirit can do a lot of things. Creating cold spots is one of them."

Sakumo's jaw tensed, the hairs on his neck standing up. His mouth went dry and his hands were suddenly very cold and clammy. "So you've been watching."

"What else could I do?" the man shot back. He looked back at Kakashi. His pale fingers were gripped by the young boy, who had a pinched expression. "You better keep your promise, Sakumo."

The Hatake stopped dead once more. The man looked at him with angry red eyes—but he couldn't observe more because he woke up around a campfire with a point blank slot of memory he just couldn't recall very clearly.

Who said that they could create cold spots, again…?

* * *

Kakashi woke up to the loud sound of a string of explosions. His eyes shot open, and he rushed out of the futon. Another string of explosions happened again, and he hurried to his zori. He shoved them onto his feet, grabbing a kunai that was stashed away under a floorboard.

"Iwa is invading," Obito reported.

Kakashi's eyes flew wide open. He whipped around and faced the spirit. "They _can't_ be! They _never_ invaded our village! Not since the first war!"

"Things have changed," Obito pointed out. "Drastically, as a matter of fact."

Kakashi's fist clenched, his teeth grinding together with irritation and rage. " _Dammit_!"

He ran out of the room, exiting the compound through the back. He climbed up on supports till he got onto the roof. Fires were alarmingly close, black smoke rising high in the air. The afternoon sun and clouds were already starting to become muddled with the marks of war invasion.

" _Kakashi_! Watch out dattebane!"

The young Hatake bunched up in surprise, instantly registering the fact that six presences were surrounding him. All of them were jōnin level, too.

He felt himself choke up with shock. _Six_ jōnin sent after _him_? That was ridiculous.

Kakashi leaped away, dodging a rain of kunai. Ninja wire shot up from the ground below, aiming to slice his back like a whip. He lunged forward and right, just barley managing to dodge a man made of Doton rock. The roof caved in, but luckily it lead to the outside hallway of the traditional Hatake compound.

The child hopped up in the air, dodging a roundhouse kick from a quick Iwa-nin. He slashed his kunai almost blindly and instinctively, aiming a fatal blow to his opponent's neck. He managed to land the killing hit, blood getting on his clothes. The Iwa shinobi fell with ease, choking and gagging for air.

Kakashi backed away, getting into a low position. He kept his senses sharp and his mind moving. It seemed that his memories served well, because his mind appeared to have imported the illusion muscle memory.

"Damn, you're pretty good," the kunoichi behind him commented.

Kakashi turned around sharply, keeping his back to the dead Iwa-nin. He glared.

"Oh, _scary_ ," she taunted.

With amazing speed, the rock man charged Kakashi and swung a heavy fist. The child leaped out of the way, dodging shuriken that was attached to ninja wire that came from a distanced Iwa nin. The scent of oil hit his nose quick, and barely a second later fire zipped down the line. The wires surrounded his sides, one of them even arching over his head. The only openings were in between, and they were a tight squeeze.

Kakashi took the chance and pushed through, only getting minor blistered red skin from the deadly blazing heat. The rock man was already right under him, an upper cut prepared. Kakashi felt the excitement of battle creep up on him, overwhelming him and making him think fast.

He continued falling from his leap of faith, the fist coming forward. But at the last minute, Kakashi twisted around the fist, his back brushing against the beastly arm of the ninja. His kunai stabbed into the man's ear, blood and pain becoming the result. The man shouted, his arms flailing blindly as blood got on his face and in his eyes.

The young Hatake leaped off of the rock man's back, landing in the grassy yard of the compound. The man stumbled forward and fell onto his hands and knees. The area Kakshi landed in was used as a training ground a lot, which was a lucky shot, because now hidden weapons were everywhere. He didn't know if he could use it, but still. It was a good idea.

Kakashi felt the movement of the kunoichi. He looked up, the woman neatly and elegantly flipping through the air. She landed on her feet, wires flying through the wind from a clawed glove mechanism. He raised his kunai as the woman charged in a lazy but strong zig zagged pattern, wire whipping everywhere. She swiped her hand, four wires lashing out and aiming to take out his legs.

The Hatake leaped up, controlling his jump and quickly ducking as the second wave of wire rushed towards his upper body. He landed in a crouch, the woman unsheathing a weapon with amazing speed. She swiped it, but it was blocked by Kakashi's kunai. He winced at the backlash and created easy distance instantly, though the woman never gave rest.

She grinned, her wires flailing about again with seemingly no order, but the closer Kakashi looked the more he could see that they were weaving in untraceable movements.

It seemed that only the Sharingan could track it.

Kakashi blinked. He wondered if his Sharingan was carried over, as well. His memories were, along with his muscle memory. His chakra reserves and strength didn't, though.

"You have it," Obito suddenly said. "But I wouldn't use it just yet. Until you're dead on your knees and struggling to catch a breath, use them."

The young Hatake had no choice but to agree.

The Iwa kunoichi jerked her arms, and the wire closed in. Kakashi's eyes widened. They were all done in such orderly fashion to catch him—not kill him, provided one or two minor injuries to shove him down some notches.

Dots instantly connected. But the shock of the revelation gave the woman time to finalize the move and tighten the wires around Kakashi's ankles and upper body in general. Some wires actually wrapped around his neck and head, which seemed overkill, but considering he killed one of their own and dealt a heavy blow on another that could become fatal…well, it didn't seem to be very overkill.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Kakashi questioned fearlessly.

The kunoichi narrowed her eyes. "I would gladly kill you at any time, you little brat."

"Then why don't you?" he challenged.

The woman glared. The wires disconnected, and she grabbed his silver hair. They were almost nose-to-nose, her blue eyes glaring into his dark grey ones. She rammed her head into his, causing sudden painful disorientation and dizziness.

Kakashi stayed awake though, albeit barely. The hit was hard, and honestly he was surprised she didn't stumble or anything. He felt himself get tucked under her arm, the lurch of his stomach informing the fact that they were leaping from the roofs of the village.

"Kakashi!" Kushina shouted desperately from where she was incapacitated. " _Kakashi_!"

The child snapped out of it. He blinked out of his dizzy daze, squirming.

(He still had his kunai in his hand).

Kakashi yanked his arm out of the wire, his skin sliced, raw and bloody. He stabbed the woman in the chest, blood spraying from the wound. She screamed in surprise and pain, instantly dropping the child on a roof.

Kakashi landed on his side roughly, keeping a hold on his bloody kunai. The woman was quick to move and retaliate. New wires broke the current ones wrapped around him, the lashes of the weaponry cutting through his skin. Kakashi felt sharp pains along his arms, thighs and back. The rock man was quick to charge him, though there was fear in the man's eyes.

Kakashi stumbled a step back, the rock man jabbng his stone elbow in hopes of hitting the child.

But a wire from a third party snapped out and grabbed Kakashi's wrist and ankle, tightening to the point of where blood was drawn in thick, severe amounts. The Hatake winced, the wire yanking him down and allowing an opening to be created. The rock man grinned, but his triumph was ephemeral.

Minato suddenly appeared and sliced through a majority of the wire with a sharp blade, blocking the rock man's attack and snatching Kakashi free. Kakashi was quick to grab his bleeding wrist. It was pretty deep, and the wound was alarmingly concerning in both location and infliction.

Honestly, Kakashi was shocked. He managed to fend off five experienced jōnin as a five year old, managing to severely injure two and kill one. The sixth seemed to be handling Kushina, though, and when he looked in her direction it was confirmed to be correct.

Minato kept a protective hold on Kakashi, backing away with a sharpened kunai raised.

There was a sudden cry of surprise and pain, though, and Kushina was at their side with a bloody kunai in her hand. "Get him to a hospital," she said. "I'll fend them off."

Minato was obviously hesitant. A five-one ratio was nowhere near reasonable and balanced. "But you could get killed…"

"I'm not gonna die. I have to beat you to becoming the Hokage dattebane," she said with a big grin.

Kakashi blinked. He stared at her with wide glassy eyes. Ah, yes, those were the words of the one and only Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto and Uchiha Obito. Kushina looked at him with an assuring look, turning away and charging the enemy ninja.

No time was to be wasted.

Minato turned and jumped away, landing and moving lithely across the blazing village.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "We're _actually_ gonna leave her?" he asked in genuine shock and surprise. He honestly didn't expect Minato to leave Kushina so suddenly without much hesitation.

"I have faith," Minato stated, though his tone sounded like he was reluctant to pull through. "But the instant you are safe, I'm going back to help her."

The Hatake could only go with it.

Kakashi was feeling lightheaded, the world spinning slowly and becoming nothing but a scene to gaze at on a relaxing day even though he knew that the village was being invaded.

He stretched his senses, keeping a tight hold on his bloody wrist that was slowly weakening. His eyes closed completely, though, in the center of his concentration; and then his breathing slowed to the point of where he felt like he couldn't consume much more oxygen than just a wheeze of breath.

But in spite of that, he could sense a few hundred of civilians trickling to shelters, thousands of more ninja fighting against a mere few hundred Iwa nin. Iwa's numbers were dwindling, too, chakra signatures becoming weak or simply disappearing. A lot of signatures flared, most being ninja's of Konoha, but a lot were also that of Iwa.

"C'mom, Kakashi, stay with me," Minato murmured, gently the shaking the five year old. "Don't die on me, please."

Kakashi blinked his eyes open. His head was spinning, and he couldn't tell if he was moving or not, but the lack of wind told him that Minato had stopped. He came to realize that his breathing was very weak, and that he was no longer holding his wrist. They were in an alleyway, if his perception was correct, and there were pitched sounds of weapons clashing. "Where are we…" he rasped quietly.

"Too close to a fight between jōnin and ANBU," Minato whispered. "Keep quiet, okay? I'll get you out of this mess. Promise."

Kakashi kept alert, focusing all of his senses on his surroundings. His head limply rested against the blonde chūnin's chest, his eyelids dropping like a mouse dragging a hundred pound weight. He felt chakra burst, and a mere second later, something exploded. His eyes opened, Minato hugging him close for security.

There were cries of pain, the sound of multiple bones shattering, and three Iwa signatures faded out of existence very quickly. The origin was a kunoichi—

Kakashi blinked and turned his head. A blonde haired woman with hazel brown eyes stood barely in view at the entrance of the alleyway. She wore a green flak jacket and a long-sleeved muscle shirt and fingerless gloves. She had Konoha shinobi pants, weaponry and zori on her feet. Around her forehead was the proud symbol of the village—but the young Hatake could easily identify the woman as the healer of the trio Sannin.

"Is that Tsunade…" he croaked.

The said kunoichi's head turned towards the duo. She blinked and stared in surprise, unsure of what to do. But when Minato blinked back and gave a pleading look, the woman pulled back in a few leaps, landing next to them. She sighed. "I need to make this quick," she said quietly. "I'm still needed in the frontline."

Minato relaxed tremendously. He let go of a shaky breath, kneeling down and putting Kakashi in front of Tsunade. "Thank you," he murmured.

She blinked again. "Sakumo's boy?" she said in surprise. "Why's he so beaten up?"

"Six Iwa jōnin were sent after him," Minato explained. "Kushina knows more of the story, but currently she's fighting off four of those said six jōnin."

Tsunade quickly accumulated chakra, carefully starting on using emergency jutsu to close up as many wounds as she could before moving onto his wrist injury—which was very dangerous. The rest were mere centimeter deep slices that didn't even reach the third centi of the mark on a ruler.

"Kakashi managed to injure one or two very badly," Minato continued quietly, "and I saw that two more of them were dead."

"Did Kushina kill them?" Tsunade inquired absently. "I'd be impressed if she did. Going up against six jōnin and managing to kill two off is a formidable feat." _Jinchūriki or not._

"Actually, I'm pretty sure Kakashi killed one of them," the Namikaze stated.

Tsunade pulled a needle and thread out, propping up Kakashi's arm and instantly started stitching. "If that's the case I wouldn't be surprised."

"What? Why?"

"Sakumo killed at the age of six, and his wife at the age of seven. Don't forget: They grew up in war, and this little Hatake is going through the same process," Tsunade explained. "He might've killed someone a little bit earlier than either of his parents, but still." She went silent, quickly covering the stitches with a few gauze pads before wrapping it up. "Make sure he doesn't move his wrist too much. I'd get him to a hospital, or a shelter infirmary as quick as possible. He's lost a lot of blood and he will be needing a needle in his arm."

Kakashi cringed at the way it was described. He was used to having needles in his arms for medicinal uses, but to hear the words "needle in his arm" was just blatantly grim.

A flashlight shined in his eyes though, and he was quick to push it away with irritation. "What are you doing…"

Tsunade huffed. "I need to go. I'll help Kushina. Where is she?"

"Hatake compound."

The Senju stood. "Alright. Remember what I said," she stated before she disappeared in a blur.

* * *

The battle was rough. Sakumo had multiple light injuries scattered across his body, though the most serious one he harbored was a slash across his upper arm. He was holding it, though, keeping the blood confined to his hand and sleeve.

He was standing by a tree, watching with tired dark eyes as medics handled the severely injured ninja. The battle was declared over in this area, and he was to be dispatched immediately after his wounds were treated without needing to wait for his unit.

A cocky-looking, beaten up chūnin suddenly walked up next to him, crossing his arms and leaning against the tree trunk. The ninja chuckled mockingly. "You gonna wait for your unit, Hatake?"

Sakumo turned his head towards the chūnin. He didn't even look to be in his twenties. Maybe seventeen. So he simply smiled. Teenagers, no matter the intelligence, still had a developing brain—therefore they didn't make wise choices just yet. "No," he said. "I'm gonna hurry back."

"Why? Are you gonna hole up in your home and feel constant self-pity like the coward you are?" the chūnin harassed.

Sakumo kept his smile, though he curved his eyes up in a dangerous way. "You're stepping into very dangerous territory," he warned. "I could report this, and you could automatically get demoted to genin."

The chūnin glared. "Coward."

"Coward or not, I'm smart enough to know that a demotion isn't good," Sakumo cooed amusedly. "Go rest, yes? You'll need it. Can't let Iwa beat you like they did me."

The chūnin stared, obviously unsure about what to say next. So, instead, he just settled for a disappointed shake of his head and walked away, unfolding his arms and disappearing in the bustling crowd.

Sakumo sighed. Teenagers were difficult, and he honestly hoped that Kakashi wouldn't be a difficult child. Though his son very truly was, he had his easy moments.

Fifteen minutes later, he was stashing up his supplies. He reported that he would be leaving, wounds treated and energy boosted, and when the report was cleared, he took off.

Konoha was only four hours away. This battlefield was dangerously close, which was primarily why he was sent to it in the first place: To end it quickly. It worked, too, but he had to be reckless to get the job completely done.

Multiple rests took place, rations getting munched down once or twice. Sakumo was rather eager to get home to Kakashi, and his speed was vital.

He was just about to enter the gate—and that's when a string of explosions shook the ground under his feet.

The scariest part was that it came from the direction of the Hatake's compound…where an anxious five year old was waiting for his father to return home safely.


	3. Aichmalophobia

**Okay, unexpected attention, lol.**

 **HybridTrash13: Haha, yeah. Such excitement. There's much more this chapter though, so I believe you'll like it. And I wouldn't really call it a dream…but I would also call it a dream. Really it was meant to be perceived as actual interaction between the living and dead, and thus a memory gap. Thanks for your review. :3**

 **ChameleanEyes: More fight scenes this chapter. Thanks for your review! :3**

 **pixy: You'll see this chapter. Thanks for your review. :3**

 **jenjen14 (guest), Guest, Xeno (guest): Thanks for your guys' reviews. :3**

 **An OC returns! If you've yet to read TOWIB, you'll have to know that the OC had black eyes, but in this story he has green. There's a reason behind that. It'll be revealed later.**

 **I updated the story early a day early because I proofread it much quicker.**

 **Original chapter word count: 4.8k~**

 **Recommended songs: Saika, Last Resort (Original & Eliminate remix) by Papa Roach, 3rd Planet by Modest Mouse, Prayer of the Refuge by Rise Against, Savior by Rise Against, I See Fire by Ed Sheeran.**

 **Enjoy! :3**

* * *

 _Chapter 3: Aichmalophobia_

* * *

Kushina wasn't a brilliant fūinjutsu user compared to her ancestors, but she was damn good compared to what was around today.

She understood barrier fūinjutsu, and she could make one in the spur of the second with just her chakra, but it would be released a mere second after due to instability.

Her defenses were struggling, too. The jōnin she was facing was severely injured, continuously breathing heavily due to the stab in her chest. Her face was coated in sweat and pale, and the man made of rock looked just about done. Two were dead, and since there were only three in Kushina's range of senses, she assumed that the fourth was a medic and merely hiding, or just not around.

Wires lashed out at her, followed by a rain of shuriken that were on fire. Kushina dodged the attack, only getting a mere cut on her forearm. She used the tiger seal. Chakra flowed, and was pulsed. A purple barrier with many unreasonable corners shot out, the charging rock man being thrown away thanks to the blast force of the barrier.

The barrier, then, disappeared.

The weaponry ninja charged Kushina, a sword red and hazy with heat in his hand. He jabbed it at her, but she leaped up in the air and chunked kunai at him. He ducked, because they were angled to hit only his head, and Kushina took the chance and fall of her leap and land on his neck.

Sadly, it worked.

His face hit the roof with a loud crack, and the weight of her body breaking his neck. It caused instant death, and his chakra signature was gone. She frowned a little, though, dodging slashes of wire and using the barrier method when the ninja strings tried to wrap around her. These Iwa-nin were pathetically easy to kill. Why? She didn't know. Were they _that_ desperate? At least Konoha goes by quality instead of quantity.

She ignored it, though, weaving through hand seals. She spat out six large bullets of water, adding the spice of her own ninja wire and shuriken. The bullets were dodged clumsily, the shuriken getting pulled out of the bullets with a yank of Kushina's arm. The rock man took the hit, though the weapons bounced off the rock-hard skin of his back.

The Iwa kunoichi charged this time, closing in on the Uzumaki and instantly engaging in a taijutsu fight. Kushina gritted her teeth. Taijutsu wasn't her strong suit. Never was and never will be. It wasn't her clans strong suit, either, though there have been legendary taijutsu users of the Uzumaki—but she wasn't one of them.

All she did was dodge. The other kunoichi was sluggish in her movements, though, and taking that to a certain degree of her advantage, she aimed to slam her palm into the woman's wound. Her palm had multiple random cuts on it, but when looking closer it could be read as a scatter fūin—a fūin that has scattered characters. It was a blood seal, though, and the shock that the fūin would shoot would certainly give the Iwa kunoichi a fatal blow.

But her wrist was grabbed at the very last second. The Iwa nin yanked Kushina forward, jabbing her knee into the Uzumaki's stomach.

Kushina coughed in surprise, all air leaving her system. She didn't have time to recover, though, because a kunai came down on her and stabbed her in the middle of her spine.

The Iwa kunoichi, however, cried out in surprise when she was suddenly yanked back by her short hair. She was slammed head first into the roof with the strength of a monster, and she was very quick to die.

The rock man leaped in for a surprise attack, but Kushina's helper was quick to smash a fist into his chest, the force shifting his organs and damaging them with the force of a bijū.

Senju Tsunade sighed in relief when the rock man fell. She was quick to gently get the kunai out of Kushina's back, getting around to healing it.

The wound was shallow, and wasn't deep enough to damage spinal cord nerves. That was relieving.

"T-Tsunade-hime," Kushina murmured in surprise. "You're here!"

"Yes, now quiet and keep still," Tsunade snapped. "You are lucky that woman didn't manage to hit your nerves, or else you wouldn't be able to walk or feel your legs to a certain degree."

Kushina's eyes widened. "Damn, dattebane," she whispered.

Minutes passed, and the wound was stitched and wrapped up. "I know that you-know-what will be able to handle the rest, but the stitches are for just in case," Tsunade said. "Take it as easy as you can. No matter your healing abilities, back injuries can still leave behind aches and scars."

Kushina slowly stood, nodding and dipping her head in thanks.

But the conversation that might've continued was interrupted when Sakumo came into view, landing next to the duo women. He was frantic and battered, close to panting desperately.

"Kakashi is safe," Tsunade instantly informed. "He's been taken to a shelter with Minato."

"A shelter?!" Kushina echoed. "That's not a good idea! Those jōnin tried to _kidnap_ Kakashi and managed serious injuries dattebane!"

Sakumo's eyes widened, panic blinding him into a jittery mess. " _What_?!"

* * *

Clouds had become murky, and the tang of blood was heavy in the air. The air was moist and cool, the smell of smoke and fire was just as strong as ever. A tint of rain could be picked up, though, and it kind of calmed Kakashi in some strange way. But it wasn't much later that it fell, soaking everything in an easy few seconds.

Kakashi was just barely staying awake. He kept his eyes cracked open, but he was always having to close them and completely losing consciousness at least every few seconds. His fingers and toes were freezing cold, and his body felt heavy despite the fact that it was Minato who was moving.

But his senses picked up threatening movement from an enemy. They were lying in wait a few yards ahead, their chakra hidden enough to escape the inexperienced senses of the blonde.

Kakashi raised his injured arm, muscles weak and slow. He did his best, pushing even further past the tolerance his young body could take.

Only a yard away, and he finally managed to yank at Minato's shirt. But it wasn't enough. The enemy leaped out, destroying the rhythm of the blondes leaps across the village with a punch.

Minato was flung across the path, his back hitting the corner of a restaurant that threw him into an alleyway. The enemy was dressed in a hooded outfit, his hands covered up by gloves and his feet by zori. A kunai showed in his hand, minty green eyes sharp with the fires of vengeance. The blade glinted dangerously, rain bouncing off of it.

Kakashi turned his head towards the man, whose movements slowed as the blade was aimed right for his stomach in hopes of gutting him. Kakashi blinked, eyes dragging left and right. The raging drops of rain slowed down dramatically, lightning flashing and the loud cracking following.

It made Kakashi drown in memories of the night he found his father—the bright light of lightning flashing across a pool of blood, the ominous sound of thunder shaking the windows and the mind-numbing thought of his father dying…it was all way too clear.

But the blade passed by his side, merely stabbing through the air as Minato stepped away. It all happened in slow motion, though, and Kakashi couldn't help but wonder why. He didn't have the Sharingan, did he?

The hooded man charged the duo again, his kunai lashing out with speed unparalleled. It was aiming for Minato's throat, and Kakashi could clearly see this with his assumed Sharingan.

So he moved.

He pushed himself up with weak strength, his back facing the green-eyed man. The kunai was a mere few millimeters from reaching its target, and it hit.

The familiar pain of a slash shocked his small body, going from shoulder blade to shoulder blade with warm blood of a living person. The world around him sped up once more. He was extremely dizzy, and he felt like gagging. He honestly didn't understand _why_ he felt so shitty. He's dealt with ridiculous blood loss before, so why is he struggling now?

He felt his head get yanked back in the shock of the attack, the sturdy arm of a man wrapping around his waist. He couldn't do anything. He was in pain, and the world around him was dark after he was tucked in close to the chest the sturdy arm might've been connected to.

 _…Why is the world spinning so quickly? Buildings are blurring…why is so dark? I can't see very well…_ Kakashi thought sluggishly. He felt a major pain over his shoulder blades, his breathing rasping and stretching out heavily. He felt the world around him moving, the sounds drowning out and leaving nothing but a low pitched ring in his ears. He reached up and touched the chest of whoever was carrying him, and the unfamiliar feeling a stranger's muscles was what met his palm.

His eyes narrowed. He still had chakra, and he could use it.

Kakashi channelled chakra through the tenkutsu of his arm, letting it stream out of his fingertips. It was easily transformed into Raiton-worthy chakra, and the man stopped moving, hunched over and shaking from the sudden pain of a strong electrical shock.

The Hatake could see through the opening the apparent cloak allowed. He turned his head to the side. He could see his father—his father, standing resiliently, his sword unsheathed and his chest heaving from the effort of travel. The eld Hatake's eyes met Kakashi's, and Sakumo froze.

The child slowly blinked. He waved it all off like it was nothing, though, the pain of the wound on his back acting as a distraction, so he looked away.

"Sleep," Obito's voice sounded. "It's better to stop fighting. You'll die at this rate."

Kakashi didn't want to, though. He didn't want to fall in Iwa's hands. But unconsciousness sounded very good at the moment, and he could go for some rest. His dizziness felt like it was going to be the cause of his death because it was so fucking annoying.

But the cold hand of his dead spirit Uchiha friend brushed against his cheek. "This'll teach Sakumo a thing or two," Obito murmured in reassurance. "The village as well, I believe."

Kakashi sighed quietly, his head rolling. Mirth bubbled up and rushed through his veins, though the emotional energy burst could barely reach his knees. It sounded interesting. He could use Ijigen no Jutsu once more if he wanted to, though it wouldn't be a very good idea. So he just closed his eyes.

But his very last thought shook him into an uneasy unconsciousness.

 _I don't want to be held hostage._

* * *

Sakumo did his utmost best to stay as calm as possible chasing after Minato. Tsunade had orders to heal and defend only, which was ridiculous, so she had to branch off. Kushina had to take it easy, and travelled at a slow pace that Sakumo couldn't handle.

He could sense his sons chakra. It was very weak, almost gone, but it flared to a brimming light sensation that washed a happy warmth over the eld man before fading into the weakness that caused clutch.

A cloaked man had landed roughly on a rooftop, and Sakumo didn't recognize him. The Iwa symbol on the man's cloak was what he was looking for, and instantly, Sakumo landed only a few feet away with weapons unsheathed. The rain made it difficult to see the man's face clearly because water kept getting in his eyes. Adding on to the fact that the man was wearing a hood and keeping his head low, it made it near-impossible as a matter of fact.

But, through the cloak where it parted, Sakumo could clearly a silver head of hair. Red eyes turned and looked at him dead in his irises, causing him to freeze with fear.

Fear of the Sharingan.

However, he knew that the man kneeling before him with a shaking body held Kakashi in his arms.

And Sakumo knew for a fact that neither he nor his wife had Uchiha within them.

So, if _Kakashi_ did, then _how_?

The hidden Hatake looked away, the glowing red of his eyes fading. His body seemed to relax into oblivion, and instantly, the chakra almost faded completely.

Sakumo's eyes widened. He was quick to charge, but the man lashed out a fist and shattered the eld Hatake's arm that held the sword. The man, then, disappeared, and left behind the aftermath of a petite invasion lead by a small force of quality rather than quantity.

* * *

Kushina was worried. She could no longer sense Kakashi, and Minato's chakra signature was alarmingly weak. Sakumo seemed to have lost some significance in regards to signature strength, symbolizing injury, though it wasn't severe or concerning, and she continued.

She reached the general area of Minato's faint signature, landing in the muddy pathway. She looked down at least five alleyways in total before she saw the blonde leaning against a wall, his hand on his forehead and his breathing uneven enough to be classified as hyperventilation.

Kushina was quick to rush up to him. She wiped rain out of her face and propped him up against the wall, her hands on his shoulders. His eyes were wide and looking into oblivion, and sweat and rain water seemed to act like a second skin because there was so much. "Minato!" she called. " _Minato_!"

It took her a slap to get him to snap out of whatever daze he was stuck in. He stared at the Uzumaki before him, his head swaying and his eyes glazing over with exhaustion.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she questioned. "Where's Kakashi dattebane? I can't sense him."

Minato's eyes became wide, his eyes darting left and right frantically in denial about how he had failed to protect Kakashi. "G-gone," he stuttered. "Gone. I-I don't know—I don't know, I don't know—I-I can't, I…" His breathing quickened again, his bloodied hand grabbing Kushina's wrist. He stared down at the ground, chest heaving and limbs shaking.

"Calm down," Kushina said. "Calm down! Calm, down. Please? I'm right here, you don't need to worry. It'll be okay. We'll clear this up. I _promise_. And I _never_ break my promises—remember, dattebane? I'll bust a volcano if I have to, and you can pick up the pieces like always. Kakashi _will_ live. We'll get him back. He _will_ live, and you will be known as a hero to him no matter how much you've failed."

Minato's jaw tensed as he somewhat calmed down. He looked back up at Kushina, swallowing and breathing shallowly. "K-Kushina-chan…" he murmured breathlessly. "Kushina-chan…his—his eyes; Kakashi's eyes…"

The Uzumaki cupped his face. "What about them?" she asked gently.

Minato blinked multiple times, his voice quivering. "He—he had…he had the Sharingan. The—they were red—red and bloody red and…they—they allowed him to save me f-from the man who took him. He—he t-took a hit—stopped my throat from being c-cut by that g-guy."

Kushina's eyes widened. She felt her chest tighten in alarm. She's seen the wounds he had already. They might've been tended to, but there was a lot of lost blood. Maybe a bit too much. Taking a hit that was meant to slit a throat had to be deep and damaging.

And then there was the dōjutsu.

This…this was not good. _This_ wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to keep Kakashi safe and sound. She was supposed to keep him anxious-free best she could. She was supposed to stop him from trying to kill that rat that was never there. She was supposed to protect him from his astrophobia. She was supposed to let him eat ramen and enjoy the time Sakumo was away to the fullest.

Booming thunder made her blink out of it. She wrapped her arms around Minato's neck, wet hair of red and yellow getting into her face. She sighed loud enough to be head over the loud potter patters of the heavy autumn rain. "It's okay. He'll live. He can't die." She stared up at the sky for a second, rain getting in her eyes more than once. "He _won't_ die. I _will_ get him back dattebane. You can count on me."

* * *

The world was very distant, sound blasting in Kakashi's ear one second before being replaced by a roaring sound that persistently stayed until the sound erupted in his ear again and became ridiculous to identify. His vision was something he had difficulty processing and the mere fact that everything was a blur of light told him that he was barely conscious.

The rough feeling of metal on his wrists made him open his eyes completely, though he was dead exhausted and could barely move. His chakra wasn't coursing throughout his system and he could feel an oxygen mask over his face. His line of vision was dark around the edges, and he was heavily breathing for air that was conveniently provided by the oxygen tank.

"Aw, look, the little Hatake baby is awake," a voice sneered.

Kakashi blinked tiredly and turned his head towards the origin of the voice. A man with black hair was leaning against the entrance of what seemed to be a hospital room, but it was easily structured like a cell. The shackles around his arms and the basic fūinjutsu to cut off the flow of his chakra was basic, but he was far too tired to attempt to break it, and when he looked around the room of the hospital he was in, there was no IV or blood bag.

They were neglecting the fact that he needed a blood donation. It was expected, though. They wanted to keep him on the brink of constant health risk because he was a hostage.

"What? Why are you staring? Do you think you can beat me _now_?" the man ridiculed.

Kakashi blinked again, but didn't reply. His head rolled back to its original spot.

"Tch, whatever," the man growled out. He turned and left, slamming the door closed.

The young Hatake could feel the presences of Iwa shinobi in the ceiling and right outside the wall. In fact, shinobi were surrounding him everywhere, stretched out for miles and mixed with the weak signatures of civilians bustling about within Iwagakure.

A shaky breath escaped his mouth.

He was a hostage—the one thing he never wanted to happen to him ever, and it was happening for the sake of morality. Obito's words were always spoken with a silver tongue, but sometimes his speech would be rougher than a mountain climb.

It was amusingly frustrating.

But it was trusted.

Kakashi just really hoped that he would get out of this as soon as Konoha could move. But, sometimes, when a person is being held hostage, one is to never pursue.

He's done it numerous times, and he really, truly, faithfully hoped that his situation wasn't the type to be left behind to ruthlessly for the sake of a war that could've ended some time ago.

"Kakashi. Long time no see."

The Hatake blinked and turned his head towards the origin of the voice, blinking slowly when he saw a brunette with minty green eyes standing before him.

Obito suddenly manifested, a deathly glare on his face as he stared in the eye of the unknowing shinobi. He growled anomalistically. "Hashimoto…"

* * *

"Tsuchikage-sama."

Ōnoki looked up from the file he was going through and checking, his old dark eyes landing on his shinobi battle and office assistant, a male brunette with minty green eyes, fairly tanned skin and a pretty blue diamond tattoo on his forehead. He was somewhat tall, and he wore the standard Iwa-nin attire. "Yes, Hashimoto?" he responded.

Hashimoto stared. "Jiro says that the Hatake is awake," he reported. "Do you want me to see to it?"

Ōnoki nodded. "Please do," he said. "Make sure Jiro is completely healed—"

"Not completely, but his wound will never fully heal," Hashimoto stated abruptly. "Send him on that mission. I won't be able to."

The Kage nodded again. "I see," he murmured sadly. "May he be forever remembered. Summon him and go handle Hatake."

Hashimoto bowed, leaving the office without another word. He walked down the hallway, hurrying to where Jiro was waiting. The dark haired male ninja was waiting, his arms crossed as he leaned against a wall.

Jiro looked at Hashimoto. "So? What now?"

Hashimoto pulled out a scroll, handing it over. "Give this to Konoha," he said. "Your condition can make you brain dead at any given moment. Not to mention you got punched by Tsunade. Your organs were damaged, and honestly I'm shocked that you're still alive. But…you know what that means."

Jiro looked down at it with a thoughtful, sad look. "I understand," he murmured. "Thank you for your time." He dipped low and respectfully before turning away and leaving in a rush.

Hashimoto blinked after the man. He was feeling indifferent toward Jiro's case. He's done that kind of thing numerous times in numerous positions, and the Iwa-nin was no different.

So he made his way to the hospital. Kakashi was held there, in a room only shinobi can access. Hashimoto was assigned as his doctor, since nobody else really wanted to be involved with the Hatake Clan in general. That was understandable. Sakumo was a very scary man, and if his weakness was targeted, he would either die easy or kill voraciously.

Such a gamble scared people. Hashimoto has seen many more scary things, though, and Sakumo might as well be scaled as a verdant child on the things he's seen. But Hashimoto wouldn't be so arrogant.

He stepped into the room Kakashi was held captive in. Shinobi were quick to filter out at the flick of his hand, leaving him with the boy alone. He smiled, remembering the silver head of hair vividly. "Kakashi…long time no see," he spoke.

The child turned his unmasked face towards Hashimoto, eyes disoriented and confused. He was breathing slowly and heavily, his heartbeat a tad too fast for his current condition. His chest rose slowly, and he looked pale.

Hashimoto sat down next to the chair that was placed next to the hospital bed, a sly smile stretching across his face. "Do you remember me?" he inquired. "I remember you."

Kakashi stared, but recognition flashed across his face. He didn't talk, though, he just stared in question.

"How am I here," Hashimoto voiced flatly. He smiled. "It would seem that Ijigen no Jutsu _actually_ happened within Mugen Tsukuyomi."

Kakashi blinked in surprise. That…would make sense. Mugen Tsukuyomi targeted individuals, and while the one that was cast on his other-dimension friends was altered from its original, the said alteration couldn't have been major. The genjutsu was more than large scale. Too much time would be consumed to make such a drastic change.

"I'm the compensation for Ijigen no Jutsu," Hashimoto continued. "For every time it's cast, the user gets transported. They can predict what's happened, since the dimensions are the same in multiple aspects just as much as they are different. Therefore, to restore balance, there is an adversary. I am your adversary. I know your story, why you're here—why there's a cold spot following you around." He smiled evilly. "Uchiha Obito…oh, how I'm starting to hate him. He's probably the one thing that will see the ending of every bitter attempt an Ijigen no Jutsu caster does. _I_ won't be able to. I'll be killed off."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"I'll come back, of course, since you left information of Ijigen no Jutsu back in your original dimension," he went on. "Another desperate or curious shinobi will see to it that Ijigen no Jutsu happens once more, and therefore I will roam as an adversary once more."

The young Hatake blinked, his head rolling back up to the ceiling.

"That wound on your back will scar," Hashimoto added. He stood up, staring down at the tired child. "Use it as a reminder—or, perhaps you can use to it open certain eyes to certain things."

Kakashi glanced at the brunette. He sighed. "Hmm," he breathed out. "Maybe…"

Hashimoto smiled. "Rest. I'm sure your father will be relieved to see that his lying son isn't totally dead."

* * *

"Sakumo."

The thirty-seven year old man turned his head towards the person, discovering it to be Tsunade. He blinked. "Tsunade," he said.

She smiled down at him.

He was sitting on a fallen beam of a building, cradling his broken arm and just staring. Kushina had arrived with news not even ten minutes earlier with an unconscious Minato. He knew that she didn't mention everything, but she did say that Kakashi was taken by a high-ranking ninja. It appeared that the objective of the invasion was to kidnap his son.

Tsunade sat down next to him. "I'm finished here," she said. "And I think you're the very last person who hasn't been healed or checked yet."

He nodded, turning his head away. He looked at the crowd, grey eyes studying how true her statement was. Everybody's wounds were minor, though there were a few who had minor to bad burns from the fiery explosions that took place earlier. Most of the worst damage done was simple gashes, broken bones, burns and very minor property damages. All the death happened on the other side.

Tsunade poked his cheek. "You look like a sad puppy, and it's really annoying," she snapped.

Sakumo smiled in amusement. "Do I?" he murmured.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Kakashi's been kidnapped," he said quietly. "Namely Iwa did it using this invasion as a catalyst."

Tsunade grabbed his broken arm, cutting away at the cloth to examine the swollen limb. "And you being sent to the battle field acted as an opening," she assumed.

Sakumo nodded.

"Does the Hokage know?"

"…Not yet…I learned this only a few minutes ago, and honestly I'm still processing it."

Tsunade sighed. She wrapped a thin layer of gauze around his arm, pulling out a cloth she had. She wrapped it up around his neck, careful to keep the wound from hurting. "Ice it," she said sternly, "and visit the hospital ASAP. Your bones were shattered. I can't treat it here with Shōsen Jutsu because there seems to be some stray chunks of bone in your muscles."

Sakumo stood up. "Thank you," he mumbled.

Tsunade stood as well. She looked him. "You're not fighting in that condition," she snapped.

"Well—"

"No. I'm _not_ hearing it," she snapped. She slapped his back, her strength pushing Sakumo foreword with a complaint. "You should rest. Kakashi will be fine. Put some faith in us, will ya?"

"Who's _us_?" Sakumo shot back under his breath. He was reluctant to rest. He _couldn't_. His son was in the hands of the enemy.

"Who do you think?!" Tsunade shouted irritably. "If you weren't so beaten up already I would be kicking your ass!"

Sakumo chuckled nervously, putting his one available hand up. "Okay, okay," he murmured.

The woman stared with brown-hazel eyes that spoke of truth and the want of trust. "Here—listen to me," Tsunade said, beckoning her hand mellowly. "Kushina is very serious when it comes to her comrades. And from what I've heard, so is Minato. They're probably gonna want to run after and find Kakashi."

Sakumo sighed, opening his mouth to speak but it was clicked shut by the medic.

"I will follow them," she assured. "We can bring either one of your dogs or an Inuzuka along, but only for tracking. It'll be better to keep you here—safe and sound, because losing a parent at such a young age is a bad idea."

The Hatake blinked and turned his head towards her face. He knew that the blonde was speaking from experience. He sighed again, and knew that she was trying to make a point. He did trust Kushina, Minato and Tsunade, but he was a father before he was a friend.

"Don't give me that look," she snapped again. "Go to the hospital you little brat!"

Sakumo blinked monotonously. "I'm only younger by less than a month—"

"I don't wanna hear it! Now go before I beat your ass!" Tsunade shouted. She pushed him in the back with her foot, the strength assuredly getting Sakumo started on his walk to the hospital.

She huffed and crossed her arms, watching the grumbling man go. She really hated how stern he was when it came to relation and trust.

It was something she wanted to fix—and fix it she would.

(Because Dan suffered the same thing, and that was why he died in the second war).

* * *

 **"Hashimoto": "bridge support"**


	4. Eleutheraphobia

**Okay. Now at this point, I'm betraying my update schedule. But it's 4/20, it _has_ to happen.**

 **HybridTrash13: Lmao, that's alright. It should be a little bit more exciting this chapter. It's ridiculously long. Kushina becomes much more involved and relevant to the story later. It is terrifying, isn't it? I'm finding myself making my a small chunk of my stories full of pessimist views on life, but they don't get very far. Barely past the prologue/first chapter. But I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your review! :3**

 **Chameleoneyes: I love excitement. Lol, thanks for your review! :3**

 **Tbh, this chapter length isn't a record. I've written 11k chapters, so…I guess this is little to nothing in a strange sense.**

 **Original word count: 8.1k~**

 **Recommended songs: I spoke to the devil in miami, he said everything would be fine by XXXTENTACION.**

 **Enjoy! :3**

* * *

 _Chapter 4: Eleutheraphobia_

* * *

Jiro travelled nonstop for almost a day, and when he reached the entrance of Konoha with his hands up in the air and scroll visibly in hand, he quick to be yanked into a choke hold by the infamous Sannin Senju Tsunade.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull your bones out and make you eat them alive," she hissed, a kunai pressing against his head.

Jiro blinked, grabbing her forearm and struggling for air. "Messenger—I'm just a messenger," he gasped. "Don't kill the—"

"Tsunade-chan," an eld voice croaked. "Let him talk."

The Sannin blinked. "But sensei—"

The Sandaime Hokage shook his head. "Do as I say, please," he stated.

Tsunade growled and threw Jiro to the ground, who sucked in a deep breath of air.

Hiruzen stared with narrowed eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Message," Jiro repeated in a struggle for breath. He straightened, but didn't stand. He kept a hand on his throat. "It's—it's a message. From Hashimoto—or, or something…I don't know its exact contents."

"I do not know who that is," Hiruzen informed.

"The baby Hatake's kidnapper and a village medic superior," he wheezed.

"Where is Kakashi?" Tsunade asked with a stern and scary voice.

"Beats me," Jiro spat. "I'm just a messenger."

"Liar."

"Right, right. I'm just a messenger who could die at any moment. Why do you think I'm here otherwise?" he snarked.

"That's a confident move your village has made," Hiruzen spoke, "leaving a jōnin to die in the hands of an enemy."

Jiro rolled the scroll to Hiruzen's feet, who picked it up, and the Iwa-nin was still panting from lack of breath. "Can't question it," he rasped. "Hashimoto can be sloppy sometimes."

"You talk an awful lot," Tsunade hissed. "Are you actually here on a mission from your village?"

Jiro snorted. He didn't answer, but he did lose consciousness—and he fell, his chest rising and falling evenly.

"…Your orders?" the Sannin inquired.

Hiruzen picked up the scroll, cautiously and slowly unraveling it. He briefly scanned it over. There was nothing hidden—just the blatant letter that was addressed to both Hatake Sakumo and Sarutobi Hiruzen. He narrowed his eyes, closing the scroll to look at his female student. "Kill him and bring him to the morgue," he ordered. "Keep out of sight."

Tsunade grinned. "Gladly," she said. Her hand grabbed the man's black hair, her arm jerking it back. His neck was exposed—and in a clean death, his throat was slit open. His body jerked and struggled, but he didn't regain consciousness, and he was dead. A stray cloth Tsunade held was pressed over his neck, the blood getting soaked into the layers. She picked the man up—and was gone, leaving a tense Hiruzen to turn away and return to his office with his hands crossed behind his back.

* * *

Kakashi regained consciousness with a cold body.

He shivered, sitting up and leaning over far enough to pull the oxygen mask off of his face, since his wrists were still handcuffed to the bed. He hunched over himself, tucking his face into his knees with shaking breaths.

 _"Calm down,"_ Obito's voice sounded.

Kakashi's head shot up, his misplaced ebony black eyes dragging across the empty but watched hospital room. His eyes narrowed. He couldn't see Obito, and he couldn't feel the Uchiha's presence. He awkwardly pulled his mask back up onto his face, his breathing slow, steady and quiet—

 _"I just possessed you. We're getting out of here,"_ Obito stated very loudly and very suddenly.

Kakashi jumped in surprise, his head whipping left and right in alarm. "Wh—"

 _"Don't talk out loud. I'm in your head,"_ the spirit snapped. _"The seal won't affect my chakra. I can break it. But I'm not gonna do it just yet. Pretend you woke up from a nightmare, or whatever. We have at least one jōnin and three Iwa ANBU watching over us in the ceiling and two jōnin outside. Don't be super fake. Got it?"_

Kakashi blinked. No wonder he was so cold.

So the Hatake laid back down. He stared up at the ceiling, breathing through his mouth to "calm down from his nightmare", before he closed his eyes.

When he opened them, a kunai was clutched in his hand, his front side covered in blood. Six bodies were all on the floor, and he was standing over all of them. Crimson replaced the clean, white walls of the room. He felt a minor spin in his head, and it wasn't until the sharp tang of metal hit his sensitive nose that he realized a bloodbath was surrounding him. He moved his tongue and jaw, too, and as he narrowed his black ebony eyes, he could taste the warm, metallic taste only blood could ever make.

"Obito," he said calmly. "There was no need to create an abattoir."

 _"The war was supposed to end almost two weeks ago,"_ Obito spat. _"Everybody's working overtime and many unnecessary deaths are going to occur on our side that could create unpredictable and disastrous cause and effects we won't be able to control within the shadows."_

"And these deaths?"

 _"You don't remember them?"_

"No."

 _"Taiseki. Kakkō. Miharu."_

Kakashi's eyes widened before they narrowed. He stared at the jōnin of the guarding group, and sure enough, he saw their ugly, bloodstained mugs—and honestly, he has never felt so much relief seeing people die such a death. These three men—these three Iwa jōnin—were the sole reason why Obito had gotten crushed; why he lost an eye; why Obito fell into the hands of Madara; why he got a Sharingan eye; why Rin fell, because Kakashi was a failure from the beginning and Obito "dying" left a failure to protect Rin; and why Obito had to die on the inside.

He clenched his teeth together to the point of where he heard a loud pop in his head. Pain pierced his jaw, but it disappeared with a rush of cold energy.

Ebony black eyes narrowed murderously. "Your action has been justified," he whispered. He could feel himself stray back to the ways of Inu—to the days of needless murder.

 _"Careful, now."_

Kakashi moved Taiseki's corpse with his barefoot, exposing the man's wounds. He had a slash across his stomach and throat, and one of his eyes had been stabbed out. His mouth was red with blood and wide open from screams of pain, and multiple stabs to his throat was visible. It made familiar squishy sounds, and chunks of flesh fell from the wound.

 _Messy_ , Kakashi thought.

He looked at Mahiru and Kakkō. Mahiru's face was frozen with terror, and both of his eyes were gauged out. He had a torn out throat, and now that Kakashi thought about, he could feel blood mixing with saliva in his mouth. He reached up to touch his face. Sure enough, his mask was pulled down and the wet feeling of blood was all over his skin. It was messy enough to hide his features alarmingly well, but he pulled his mask back up anyway.

Kakkō was simply gutted. The ANBU died cruelly, too, with mere slashes up their arms and stabs to their ears and throats.

It was overkill.

But Iwa needed to wake up and see that they always did lose more than Konoha during wars.

"How much feelings have you bottled up over the years?"

Kakashi turned around, his dark eyes landing in the true green eyes of Hashimoto. "What?"

Hashimoto uncrossed his arms, the door sliding open to reveal a dead woman behind it. A jōnin had opened it up frantically out of concern, but Hashimoto hit the man with his elbow hard enough to cause fatal internal organ and external damage. He smiled devilishly, his green eyes flashing a dangerous death red. "Your killing intent is so profound and general," he continued. "It's extremely strong. I doubt only a Kage or higher level shinobi would be able to detect it."

Kakashi blinked. "I'm not giving out any malice…" he said, though his voice trailed off when he realized that he was, indeed, feeling the intentions to kill. A living target was within his sights, and the urge to kill it was strong but intelligence interfered and spoke firmly.

Hashimoto suddenly laughed almost hysterically. "Inu, Inu! Tobi, Tobi!" he cried the names in a song-song voice of madness. "Inu, Inu! Tobi, Tobi! Haha—you two…you two…! Haha…hahahaheh…" He did laugh hysterically this time, his body shaking as he doubled over with what might as well be insanity. "Inu, Inu, Tobi, Tobi! You two could kill the _whole_ world with all of those bottled feelings!"

Kakashi glared. "What are you talking about?"

Hashimoto straightened up, a grin stretching across his face. He chuckled darkly. "I would be careful," he warned with a shaking voice. "Your true grey eyes and ebony black eyes are different. If it's noticed, and trust me it _will_ be noticed, the fact that Obito is here will be exposed. Whatever plan you're following or going to follow will not only be disturbed by me, but by your surrounding comrades and if they feel the need to be overprotective, you'll have to leave."

 _"…That is true, as much as I hate to admit it…"_ Obito murmured.

Kakashi sighed loudly, stressfully rubbing the back of his neck with a bloody hand. "I've started in such a sloppy way," he mumbled in disappointment. "I guess hanging out with tou-chan took a toll. I'm getting too caught up in playing happy childhood."

Hashimoto snorted. "I would shank you with scissors if you continued," he taunted. "Baby scissors—the ones toddlers use." He grinned in amusement. "The teacher would yell at me for running with scissors."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he grumbled. He stepped over the corpses, his feet soaking in the pools of redness. He stepped up to Hashimoto, but the medic didn't move. The Hatake looked up to the tanned brunette, red Sharingan eyes bright with murder. " _Move_."

Hashimoto grinned, but he still didn't stwo aside. Kakashi raised his kunai like a cliché murderer in a cliché horror movie, stabbing the weapon into the brunette's chest. Blood was quick to spill from the wound and down the man's shirt, the red liquid getting into both of Kakashi's hair and face.

"You're losing your mind," Hashimoto rasped. "Or perhaps you're just losing the little tiny chunk of sanity you _thought_ you had…"

Kakashi looked up at the man, blood dripping down his temple and brow from his hair. "Possibly," he said coldly. "The last time I went on a bloody rampage like this was about forty years ago. I used the carnage and adrenaline of battle as an escape to forget my loss. Now at this point, I believe that I am just doing it for the fun of it. Obito's possession is a good excuse, too, don't you think?"

The brunette chuckled, pulling out the weapon and stumbling aside with wet, rasping breaths. "I do," he croaked.

Kakashi smiled creepily, his bloody cheeks rising. "Bye," he spoke.

"Hm…" Hashimoto gagged on blood, though the wound was healed and all that was left was the metallic scent and red stream.

The young Hatake turned and walked away, bloody footprints acting as his trail. He made it to a window, and then he blacked out completely.

Obito took complete control, Kakashi's iris's returning to a solid, sinister ebony black. He pulled back his fist and punched through the glass, leaping out from the fourth floor. He landed on the rocky floor that surrounded the hospital, breaking the ground easily. He looked over his shoulder. The hospital seemed to be designed for criminals, seeing as the hospital sign itself clearly stated that it was connected to Tetsu no Taka-sa Keimusho.

That was scary. A five year old being sent to Tetsu no Taka-sa spoke of highly punishable crimes. The prison was the sister to Burrado Keimusho, where he clearly remembered Naruto being sent to at one point for a mission Tsunade assigned him. He heard that he almost died, and only lived because a woman with an all-powerful healing kekkei genkai healed him to full health with her life as the healing medium.

That would be an interesting kekkei genkai to investigate.

"Criminal on the loose!" a voice screamed. " _Run_!"

"Which floor?!" someone shrieked.

"Fourth!"

"Shit—fuck! Get away! Danger, danger!"

Obito looked up behind him towards the building. Indeed, the highest floor was the fourth floor—right where he came from. He smiled underneath his mask. The system developed in Iwa was interesting. That was another thing to investigate.

He turned his head back when he heard ninja surround him.

Obito got out of his crouching position, his wounds already healing from breaking the glass and jumping four stories down. The Iwa-nin surrounding him were mostly ANBU, with the occasional jōnin. Iwa ANBU always wore cloaks to hide their bulky organic Doton. They wore baggy clothing that was flexible, though some wore skin-tight outfits. Most wielded swords, namely ōdachi and Kama with the occasional katana. Some had mini scythes, chains—one even had some war fans.

He could wield all of them.

The first few brave ninja charged him. Obito didn't have the patience, though. He was feeling irritation eat away at his insides—the results of possessing a body that wasn't familiar with his spirit just yet.

He closed his eyes, Kamui activating as he reopened them. The turquoise ribs of Susano'o flared into existence, a constant pain stabbing in every single cell of his body. It hurt, but he enabled the skeleton arm to swipe away at the men who charged him. They were swatted into the buildings across the path from the hospital, blood spilling onto the floor.

An ANBU snuck up behind him very quickly, his double-wielding weapons stabbing through Kakashi's body, aiming to hit him in the kidney and heart. Obito smiled again and turned around, the blades phasing through the flesh of the Hatake harmlessly.

He slashed his kunai, the ANBU's jugular getting sliced open. Blood sprayed onto his face again, getting into his hair and eyes. He grabbed the Kama the dead ANBU wielded, the Susano'o's skeleton completely developing and crushing every single shinobi that charged him with ease. He simply stood there, though, with a calm, dead and bloody look.

When the one-sided abattoir finished, mangled bodies and blood soaked the rocky grounds. Pools accumulated at rapid speeds, some actually reaching his feet through the power of combination. He shivered and hugged himself, crouching down and tucking his body into his thighs. His breathing was loud and shaky, and the taste of blood was the only thing that kept him from completely losing control of his bloodlust primarily because he remembered that this was not his body.

He missed killing, in all honesty. He's done it so many times. Sometimes he would kidnap people and just torture them for the fun of it, other times for the craving, and most times for the adrenalin the screams created. It acted as an escape from what he's done. He's also gone on random rampages, and Kirai's existence was the result.

That bastard of a personality still existed, sadly. Obito was always in denial about wanting to kill ever since he fell under the Tsukuyomi. Maybe before that—before disaster fell. Perhaps that is why Kirai exists.

 _This is nice…_ he thought quietly. A roaring sound filled his ears, drowning out sounds of slaughter. He just stared at the ground, studying every single detail even as more and more blood accumulated and gathered to soak his bare, pruning feet. The roaring ocean-like sound turned into a ringing that got so loud it faded out of Kakashi's hearing range into an eerie silence that drowned out all others.

Obito looked up with wide eyes, his mouth clamped shut with excitement. The ringing came back instantly, though it quickly faded away and the drowned sound returned to his sense of hearing. He blinked in unimpressed surprise when he noticed that the Iwa shinobi were keeping a distance created from fear. The carnage surrounding him gave off sharp smells that he was all too familiar with.

Scarily enough, he felt at home with it.

Slowly, Obito stood, the bloody hair matting to Kakashi's face. His Susano'o disappeared, though his red eyes remained. A rain of shuriken and kunai rushed him from the shinobi on the rooftops, but the weapons went straight through him. They hit the rocky floors behind him with a loud shattering clang.

He stepped forward, which caused the shinobi to swallow with fear.

Obito looked at them. He wouldn't lose to scum like this. He wouldn't dare let it happen.

He used both Kamui to hurriedly take out a unit of five. They were brave enough to move, though many of them lost chunks of flesh or limbs to the dimensional dōjutsu. It repeated multiple times among the units across the pathway, and they didn't know how to dodge it. He stopped the instant they started attempts in pelting him with weaponry.

(One jōnin stared with calculating eyes).

Obito's tongue clicked. He walked forward, becoming intangible as multiple ninja tried multiple jutsu's. Some were very well done and executed, while others were sloppy with fear, though the potential could be seen.

For every ninja who dared to uselessly utilize taijutsu to bring him down, more blood was spilled by the Kama. It was because of that that the ninja resorted to long-distance attacks.

But the weapons were sucked into Kamui and sent right back with the force of a demon.

Obito smiled with dead eyes, an extremely brave taijutsu user swinging a fist at him. Obito stabbed his kunai into the man's fist, his sword swinging and chopping the arm off. An airborne roundhouse kick later, the man's neck was twisted and he was on the floor with blood spilling from his mouth.

"You're strong for such a young one," an elderly voice commented.

Obito looked up with dangerous red eyes.

"The _Sharingan_? Oh my, I didn't know you had Uchiha blood in you…" the elderly man said smugly. He crossed his arms, teeth showing in his cocky grin. "As far as I was concerned, you were just a Hatake puppy with only enough skill to hurt a man…but to create a bloodbath with my subordinates? I won't show any mercy."

"You're the Tsuchikage…" Obito spoke with a soft voice.

Ōnoki's grin widened. "None other than I, strange Uchiha brat," he shot back.

Obito narrowed his red eyes. "I'm _no_ Uchiha," he shot back. He honestly abandoned that name to a consent. Naruto brought it back to him, but during the confusing Tsukuyomi Kaguya cast, he basically let it slide and become translucent—a mere memory.

"Oh…? Then what are you?"

"I am no one," Obito quoted. "I don't want to be anyone. Just know me as you see fit."

Ōnoki snorted. A silent order to retreat and tend to the wounded was seen through a flick of the Kage's hand, and when the wounded were cleared, and the able dropped back, rocks rose from the ground and surrounded the Tsuchikage.

And an armored half body turquoise humanoid surrounded Kakashi, Kamui-like shuriken in hand with string tied to it.

Obito smiled hungrily. He has wished for Iwa's fall for almost fifty years, sixty counting the time in the Tsukuyomi—and this would be how it was done.

* * *

Sakumo got his arm surgically patched up in five hours, and Shōsen Jutsu completed the healing process. It took a full seven hours, but eventually his shattered bone was reduced to a mere few cracks. He got orders from the med-nin who completed the process with Shōsen, Nohara Ren, to restrain use for the next month or two best he could. His arm was placed within the security of a few layers of gauze and a brace, and he was discharged.

He barely left the lobby when an ANBU used Shunshin no Jutsu to stop him dead in his tracks. A scroll was in his hand, the red string wrapping around it. It was signifying that it was sent directly from the Hokage with top secret information, and that it shouldn't be seen by just anybody's eyes.

"What is this?" he inquired quietly.

The ANBU's dark eyes stared. "S-class," he simply whispered. "Share this with Tsunade-hime, Kushina-hime and Minato-san. It concerns them as well."

Sakumo took the scroll, tucking it away. The ANBU stepped back, and disappeared, and the Hatake took his leave. He knew that Kushina and Minato were up and about, helping around for rebuilding while anxiously waiting to take leave for Kakashi. Only a day has passed. Sakumo was worried sick, too.

He didn't know where Tsunade was, but if he had to guess he could say that she was possibly with her distant cousin, Kushina, and Minato. Or he hoped so, at least. She might as well be in a bar, too.

Sakumo found Kushina and Minato bickering over who would handle the hammer and nails while the other would hand the boards, but it was interrupted the instant Sakumo showed.

"Sakumo!" Kushina shouted. "Who should hold the boards up?! Me or the blonde bitchass dattebane?!"

The Hatake gave a ticked smile. "Why don't we just take a break," he suggested, though he was honestly surprised by how sharp Kushina's tongue was. "I've got some news as well, and it involves you two mischievous kiddos."

Kushina crossed her arms and Minato laughed nervously, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. He was unaffected by the sharp words, which was honestly another thing that was surprising.

"Do you guys know where Tsunade is?" he asked.

"Probably with Hokage-sama," Minato murmured.

"She's at a bar dattebane."

"How can you be so sure?"

"She's _Tsunade_ , you girly idiot! She's established all bars as her unofficial home!"

"I'm not _girly_!"

Sakumo waved his arms. "Now, now children…"

"I heard my name."

Both of the chūnin jumped in surprise, their heads turning towards the origin of the voice. Sakumo turned his head, too, and saw that it was, indeed, Tsunade. He smiled in amusement. "Yes, they were bickering over where to find you," he said.

"Oh. I was just reporting in to Sarutobi-sensei," she stated.

"I told you…" Minato snapped through his teeth. Kushina glared and kicked him in the stomach, causing the blonde to double over in pain. "Ow—K-Kushina-chan…!"

"You shut your mouth, you sissy!" she shouted. "She probably would've made way to a nearby bar if this news thing didn't pop up so suddenly dattebane!"

Tsunade laughed evilly. "I would," she agreed.

Sakumo chuckled. "Speaking of the news," he spoke, "it seems to be top secret, and I would like to hurry and look into it."

Kushina blinked. "Oh. Damn. Okay, dattebane. What's it about, then?"

Sakumo pulled the scroll out. The red string wrapped around it brought the two teens to immediate attention. He looked around, and when he saw that everybody was too busy rebuilding, he unfurled it. Stupid, yes, but he didn't care at this point. His anxiety was sky rocketing more than ever and all he could think about was getting his son back.

It was a letter.

Sakumo read it.

His eyes widened. It was only a few sentences long, but they were filled with demands. The first was that he goes to Iwa. The second was that he brings a unit of five with him. And it stated that if he didn't arrive three days after the invasion, Kakashi would die.

The last two sentences cleared up that he would fight a man named Mugen, who would assuredly kill Konoha no Shiroi Kiba, and that Kakashi was hanging in the balance.

Sakumo narrowed his eyes. He's killed many, especially people from Iwa for the past two years, so if this was a battle for revenge…

Well, he would still fight because of Kakashi. But he did feel some guilt. He hated fighting battles in the name of vengeance.

"That's stupid," Kushina murmured.

"This entire thing is," Minato agreed quietly.

"A battle for revenge is not the way to go at things," Sakumo mumbled.

Tsunade sighed. "Can't help it," she said. "We only have two days. Pack up, you brats. We're leaving within the hour."

Kushina and Minato nodded, and were quick to leave.

Sakumo closed to scroll, stuffing it away.

Tsunade stared at him, sighing again. She patted his shoulder in reassurance, staring forward at the people who were resting and rebuilding the general area. "Don't worry. This Mugen guy will die a nasty death," she said briskly.

Sakumo smiled tightly, though it disappeared only a second after it appeared. A dark look stretched across his face, and it appeared as mellow but Tsunade could see the darkest promises of death in the man's eyes. "Yes. Yes, he will."

* * *

Obito didn't have too much trouble with Ōnoki. He did take away the armored Susano'o, though, and left it as a mere half-body skeleton humanoid. The rocks were easy to deflect and his "intangibility" stopped the ground from under his feet from hitting him.

He did move, though, dancing across the blood and on top of the corpses. It seemed to piss the Kage off, too, and he could feel a bubble of laughter rise in his throat.

He kept on dodging, and dodging, and dodging—

And then he could feel Kakashi's heartbeat skip and slow down. He instantly stopped, his legs wet with blood and his feet soft with liquid.

He listened.

And he heard.

The heartbeat skipped another beat every few seconds.

Obito narrowed his eyes. He needed to end the battle quickly. He's stayed within the body of young Hatake Kakashi a little bit too long, and the toll was being paid.

He put his hands together to make the snake and ox seals, and chakra coated his hands. He launched himself forward with the Susano'o surrounding his little vessel, but it disappeared and he swiped his arms.

Ōnoki blinked in confusion, backing away, but he was caught off guard when he suddenly couldn't see.

A genjutsu had been cast on him, and he couldn't see.

Obito hid his chakra signature completely, because he knew that Kakashi's was still blocked. He took off in some random direction, jumping from cone roof to cone roof. There were no nearby shinobi or civilians. All of them had left for what may be a cave, but Obito wasn't super sure.

He did stop, though, when he spotted a hole in the ground. Nobody was in it, and while it was right next to a home, he could let Kakashi recover in there for some time.

Obito leaped down from the roof on soft feet. The blood on his skin had flown off in the wind and onto the roofs, and he knew for sure that his trail had been erased well enough. He squeezed into the hole, crawling on his belly down the hole until he reached a rectangular room. He swung himself down into it, the weapons still in his possession.

A cry of fear and alarm made him turn around sharply. He saw a woman with three identical toddlers behind her legs, and one of them had broken down crying under the pressure of the present enemy. Soon enough all three children were crying, and their mother was quick to calm them best she could. He blinked, his muscles bunching up to move a step forward, but the body failed him.

Obito instantly cut himself off from Kakashi, who regained consciousness as he fell to his knees coughing and breathing heavily with cold limbs. He obviously didn't realize where he was, as he just bunched up in a crouching ball. He hugged himself, his jaw chattering with hypothermia. He was quick to drop the weapons, too, and his Sharingan faded into glazed grey eyes.

"Kakashi," Obito spoke briskly.

"Shut. _Up_. I _know_ ," he hissed through gritted teeth. He let go of himself and grabbed the weapons with weak, cold hands. They were still dripping with blood, and the fact that his clothing was still soaked wasn't helpful. He stepped away until his back hit a wall, his Achilles touching the roughness of a jutting stone.

Tired grey eyes landed on the four other occupants of the room, his chest heavy and struggling to capture breath. "Why aren't you with everyone else?" he rasped.

The woman winced, though her tone of voice with strong with confidence. "W-we couldn't make it in time. What about you? Why are you here?"

"Hiding, obviously," he shot back irritably.

Obito narrowed his red eyes. They were glazed over, too, and it seemed like he wasn't actually here. "Don't trust her," he whispered. "Don't."

Kakashi felt his throat tightened. He leaned forward, his head hanging low. He could hear their shaking breaths, the scent of their fear could be smelled, and he knew just how vulnerable they were.

He dragged his foot forward. He was breathing loudly like a zombie at that point, and quite honestly it scared even his own self.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked. "Where are your parents? Are you hurt?"

Kakashi's jaw tensed as he looked at her. "I don't know…" he mumbled. "I'm here, covered in the blood of my enemies, because of my father. I'm—I'm honestly too old for this…"

The woman looked very confused. "What are you talking about? You couldn't be any older than six…"

Kakashi sped up in walking towards her. She was going to figure him out, and the world would be against him. He couldn't have that.

 _Yes, kill her and her children. Why should she live in ignorant bliss? I've lived well over ten years in blood and blood only. Why did I stop?_

"Make their deaths messy," Obito advised with a dark tone. "I can see it—they'll tell, and they'll figure us out—"

"Shut up!" Kakashi shouted. He stopped dead in his tracks, his knuckles white as his grip on the hilt's of his weapon tightened. He turned his head towards Obito, eyes a bright, burning red as he activated his own pair of Mangekyō. "I am _getting_ to it! So _shut up_!"

Obito glared back, his arms crossing over his chest. His irises were glowing dangerously, his mouth twisted unpleasantly—and instantly, Kakashi knew that Obito was about to slip back into the boots of Kirai.

He looked back at the woman, rage filling up in his own red eyes. "You're probably gonna tell everyone about this, aren't you?!" he shouted. Yes, yes, she would. Even under the threat of death, she would speak, because she was devoted to her village and her village only. He raised his kunai, his expression screaming of promised death. "I won't let you…"

The woman's eyes widened in fear. "What are you…"

"Shut up!" Kakashi shrieked. He charged them, slashing randomly and landing a hit for every time he sliced.

Soon enough, three toddlers and a woman were dead, flesh sliced to the bone. He was soaking in more blood of more victims as a result of more death and more madness. He fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking. He was crying.

Water mixed with cold sweat and blood, and he fell into hysteria. By the time he recovered, his left eye was blinded with blood. The sting of it forced his eye closed, and—

And it was triggering.

He felt like he could open up his left eye and reveal Obito's Sharingan—and kill, kill, kill, kill, record it all, remember it all vividly even in the afterlife, dream about it repeatedly and calmly wake up with the relief of seeing carnage to stop seeing Rin's horrified, bloody face and Obito's sad half smile that was crushed by a rock and the raspiness of his voice as he was crushed destroyed dying dead and half dead and half alive and the funeral—the funeral of Minato, Minato Obito Minato Kushina Obito Rin Rin Rin Minato Rin Obito Kushina Kushina Obito Rin Kushina—the life of Naruto ANBU ANBU ANBU—Inu, yes, he was Inu and he was to stay as Inu and he was never truly Hatake Kakashi and all he could bring was death death tragedy tragedy blood loss loss of comrades failure record it all remember it all dream about it and stop.

Kakashi blinked, his hands limply dropping the weapons. He looked up at the dark ceiling. Movement outside was little to none, and even Ōnoki had fallen off the grid. He smiled blandly. "I'm becoming Inu again," he whispered hoarsely. "I can't really feel Kakashi anymore…why…? Obito…what happened? Why did we do this? We haven't been here for a full eight days and already we've created a few hundred graves too many…"

Obito was quiet, but his voice was shaking when he spoke. However, it was mixed with sadness, strain and madness. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "K-Kirai…"

"I've figured that much," he said. "What's it like to have MPD…?"

"You're told that you lie sometimes. You don't remember, and you have to right wrongs you've never done in the first place. Amnesia. Confusion." Obito smiled bitterly. "You'll sometimes hear the others thinking. It may seem like they're completely different people. But, y'know, they're actually you and when you hear it…it's…it's scary."

Kakashi slowly stood up. "We're getting out of here," he rasped. "I want to go home."

"And be in the safe arms of Sakumo…?"

"No. Those safe arms would raise up high in the sky and stab their core," Kakashi whispered shakily. He pressed his right fore and middle finger against his forehead, his nose scrunching and his eyebrows deeply creased. "He's…not safety…he's…he's something to be guarded…and I'll lock him up in a basement if that's what it takes to keep tou-chan alive."

Obito nodded his agreement, his face becoming creased with exhaustion. "Rest," he stated hoarsely. "I'll wake you up if anything happens."

Kakashi's head tipped back up to where he came from before he nodded in silence. He turned around, found a place to sleep, and closed his eyes.

It didn't take long for him to drift to slumber covered in blood that wasn't his own and with an unstable mind.

* * *

Sakumo, Tsunade, Kushina and Minato didn't waste any time in getting to Iwa. It took them well over a day, but by the early morning of the final day the letter mentioned, they were sneaking in through the entrance that lacked guards.

That was very strange. Was Iwa prepared?

The four Konoha shinobi pulled out kunai, sneaking in through the tunnel. There were at least two abandoned carts that held weapons at the entrance to the village. Sakumo frowned and extended his senses to their limit, only to find that—

"There's no one here."

Everyone looked at Kushina.

"I can't sense a human chakra signature anywhere," she said, her frown deep. "They're all clumped in one place on the opposite side of the village. Even the shinobi are included. I mean—well, the Tsuchikage is flying around…but I can't sense anyone else."

"That's because they're all either dead or hiding."

Their alarm skyrocketed, weapons held up in defense as they looked into the village. A man with brown hair stood a few mere feet away from them, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a plain black muscle shirt, fingerless gloves, shinobi pants and zori. He had true green eyes and naturally tanned skin that was beautifully toned. It looked as if he spent his whole life in summer rather than in Iwa.

Minato stared.

"Who the hell are you?" Tsunade hissed.

"I'm Hashimoto," he said with an even tone. He smiled when Tsunade glared, her arm bracing to throw her weapon.

"I don't know you," Kushina snarked underneath her breath.

"I'm the one who was ordered to wisp the little puppy away," Hashimoto spoke.

"I _knew_ it." Minato spoke with a promise of pain. "You…"

"Calm down, now," he said. "I said they were orders. I can't really defy them."

Sakumo blinked. "Where is this Mugen person?"

"Oh, that guy?" Hashimoto replied. He smirked. "Doesn't exist. The plan is that we lure you in alone and kill you. I made some alterations, though. It would be boring to just kill you."

Sakumo gave a hard, long stare. Hashimoto's smirk turned into a toothy grin, his eyes shining with the determination of a psychotic killer. The eld Hatake almost winced under the eyes of the brunette, and instantly he knew that he really shouldn't engage in a fight with him. "I'm assuming something is made up for that."

"Of course," the brunette said. "Why don't you see for yourself? The scent of a slaughter is so _very_ strong right now."

Sakumo froze. His eyes widened. He sniffed the air—and sure enough, the choking smell of blood was floating from the northeastern corner of the village. He covered his nose and mouth with his hand, his head becoming dizzy from how heavy the metallic scent was. "What…what _happened_ …? It's such a thick scent…"

Hashimoto's grin widened. "Ask your son."

* * *

Kakashi woke up to hearing Obito's voice calling out to him. He cracked open his right eye, but he had difficulty opening his other one. He rubbed it, and instantly it watered up. When he got it open, it was blurry and he had difficulty seeing. "Oh, come on…" he murmured irritably.

"You should've gotten the blood out of it before you took that nap," Obito retorted.

Kakashi sat up and snorted. He felt uncomfortable. His mouth was dry. He was shivering with hypothermia, and his hands, feet and forearms were numb. But despite the fact that he was so physically numb from the cold, he took hold of the kunai and Kama he was wielding.

He stood up, briefly stretched, and was very quick to exit the room and leaving the smell of rotting corpses and blood behind. He climb out of it, his now red Sharingan eyes dragging along the bridges and paths of Iwagakure. He made sure that his chakra signature was hidden to the point of where one would think he had no signature.

He saw no one. And when stretched his senses out, he noticed that everybody was still cooped up in their hiding place. Even the Tsuchikage wasn't roaming too far about.

However, he could sense Hashimoto towards the western part of Iwa, where Kakashi knew for sure where the entrance was at due to visiting multiple times as both Hokage and Rengōku shinobi.

He crawled out of the hole completely, standing up on his feet. Obito manifested next to him, his own ebony black eyes a threatening blood red. "Sakumo is here."

"Already?"

"Yes. So are Kushina, Minato and Tsunade. They're at the entrance," Obito stated. He sneered. "So is Hashimoto."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. He deactivated his Sharingan. "Possess me."

Obito glared, shaking his head.

Kakashi turned his head towards the Uchiha. "Did I _stutter_?" he retorted aggressively.

The spirit blinked in surprise, his arms almost unfolding completely. "It's _dangerous_."

"I would rather be in the path of extreme danger than to have to explain this in a lie," Kakashi shot back. "If it's checked…"

Obito sighed. "I won't be able to stay for long. Your body is too undeveloped," he murmured.

Kakashi nodded, his line of sight darkening and, soon enough, he knew nothing but unconsciousness.

Obito completely took over in that mere moment, the Hatake's true grey eyes turning a sinister ebony black. The Uchiha leaped up into the air, landing on a small wooden bridge that connected two roofs together. Indeed—the Tsuchikage was no longer floating about. There was no Iwa inhabitant in sight, and quite honestly it was almost satisfying.

As much as Iwa is good in some sort of perspective, they were the reason why he was crushed by a boulder. Admittedly, Madara wanted Obito to fall in his hands sooner or later and had the plans to do so, but it was Iwa that ultimately pushed it over the edge.

He turned his head over his shoulder, a harsh wind making Kakashi's body shiver. Obito sighed. "You are so reckless," he said out loud. "We started off so messily. And Kirai is spreading his infection, too. I can tell. You had decades to rebuild your mental state, and I watched it happen. Your effort was wasted, Kakashi. Forty-seven years of effort is gone. All that you know now are possibilities…and Inu."

Kakashi physically and mentally flinched, and Obito smiled. But he spoke no more, and jumped up. He leaped from cone roof to cone roof, easily reaching the entrance within a minute. But he tripped, stumbling through the air. He hopped down onto a deck, crouching and holding his throbbing head. He was breathing heavily and he could barely enable movement.

And then he blacked out—or so he thought. He couldn't use four senses, but he could feel Kakashi's body move.

He recognized this feeling.

 _Kirai._

Kakashi's bloody face stretched into a grin. His body lunged forward into the air, skipping roofs and easily reaching the entrance. He stopped, however, and stared down at the five shinobi.

They were talking amongst themselves. However, Hashimoto looked up to Kakashi. He smiled evilly, cruelly, and purely out of relieved appreciation. He disappeared with a wisp of smoke, and instantly, Kirai took the chance to hop in the air.

His shadow fell over Kushina, who looked up with wide eyes. But shock made her even more surprised, and she couldn't help but to draw in a sharp breath. " _Kakashi_?!"

Kirai narrowed his eyes. They turned a deadly red that could easily be identified as the Mangekyō, and he grinned darkly. He spun in the air and threw the kunai he held with strength and velocity gained from the spin, aiming for the red haired chūnin's heart.

Kushina realized the events enough to move, but the kunai was fast and was thrown with the power of a devil. It dug into her shoulder with ease, deep and painful. She gripped her upper arm, crying out in surprise and wincing back.

"What the hell are you doing, you brat?!"

Kirai landed in a crouch, the skin on his feet getting raw from the rough rock. He turned his attention to the blonde woman who had shouted at him earlier. He stared at her, and in return her eyes widened.

"Sh-Sharingan?" she murmured.

Kirai blinked mellowly, his face becoming relaxed in an alarmingly deadly way.

"Kakashi, what are you doing?" Sakumo asked in alarm. His guard was completely down, but he still had a kunai in hand and his dark eyes were wide. "That's _Kushina-chan_!"

Kirai blinked in realization, his head tipping a little as he looked at the red haired chūnin. "Kushina…" he echoed.

Sakumo nodded hopefully. "Yes, yes, that's right, Kakashi. It's Kushina-chan."

Oh, yes. Kushina. Uzumaki Kushina. He remembered her clearly. She was the one who restrained him and stopped from from killing Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi in their fight.

He blinked again, his eyes narrowing. His brow creased and his nose scrunched in displeasure. White eyelashes clouded his vision, and he blinked with rage of being reminded.

Kirai was quick to put his right hand up to his chest, his fore and middle finger raising up to the sky. Chakra was charged and accumulated, and it was blasted out to his surroundings. Wind and grit flew everywhere in a circle, his face full of rage.

Oh, yes. Kushina. Uzumaki Kushina. He hated her deeply. Well, he hated everybody with reasonless profoundness, but he was Kirai.

Kirai was _always_ read as "hate".

Sakumo raised his weapon, his arm blocking his face from the ferocious whipping winds. He didn't care for the rest of his being, and the wind was quick to knock the rest of the unit away.

Kirai wanted to fight this man and this man alone in his current standing, merely because he knew who Hatake Sakumo was.

The second personality wanted to exact revenge on Hatake Kakashi, and going by the wide eyes of the eld man, he knew that it would succeed.

So he summoned up the ribs and skeletal arm of his Susano'o, the hand coming down on Sakumo. But the Hatake pushed himself out of range, his eyes wide with fear, surprise and just plain confusion.

Kirai laughed loudly. The chaos he was creating—it was beautiful. He continued laughing evilly, darkly and happily. It faded into insane chuckles, the wind still sharp and strong with chakra.

" _Kakashi_!" Sakumo shouted, his unhurt arm reaching out between Susano'o's ribs. He dropped the kunai, his hand almost touching his sons cheek.

But Kirai's arm lashed out, grabbing the man's wrist with wide red eyes. He was breathing heavily, a cold sweat mixing with the blood of the enemies he has killed. His hand was freezing cold, his grip weak and shaking. He suddenly coughed, the Susano'o disappearing as his head went limp.

Kirai was feeling quite odd. He didn't feel very in control, and it was…scary. He did, however, suddenly feel his conscious shift. He no longer was seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling or feeling. He was staring into nothingness, and all he knew was that there was a fourth person within the little five year old's mind.

Sakumo reached out with his other hand. It gently touched his sons shoulder, and he slowly pulled the young Hatake into a comforting one-sided hug. "Kakashi," he spoke. "Don't worry. Tou-chan is here."

"Tou-chan…" he repeated in a whisper. "Tou-chan." His voice got stronger. But he grinned madly, and the Kama was driven through Sakumo's stomach. "Tou-chan…tou-chan failed."

Sakumo gritted his teeth together, blood rising in his throat. He coughed a little, but he kept the crimson liquid in his mouth. He smiled painfully, blood straining his saliva and causing his lips and teeth to be tinted with red. "Yeah…tou-chan wasn't doing a very good job," he agreed. "Tou-chan almost left you behind…and honestly, it was selfish."

The boy slowly blinked. He pushed himself away, his bloodied face staring up at his father. His face was completely relaxed, his dangerous red eyes glazed over with unshed tears. He looked down at the wound, his bloody hand still gripping the sword.

Sakumo straightened up, his face stretched with realization and sadness. "You…you're not Kakashi," he spoke.

The child blinked. "No…" he murmured with a quiet voice. He frowned a little, continuously staring at the wound. It sounded more like he was talking to himself. "I can't tell…if I'm alone in my head…"

"How come…?" Sakumo inquired gently. Kakashi was obviously going through something and his father has full intentions of digging.

"…Too…too many details…" he mumbled. His eyes widened dramatically. The Sharingan faded into an ebony black, the unnerving color setting Sakumo's internal alarm off. "I—we're…the same? Yeah…we're the same? No…we're all different…too different. Violence, hate, anger, loathe versus…versus? No, no…"

Sakumo blinked. "Versus what? Do you know?"

The young Hatake blinked, his voice soft and directed towards what might as well be everyone no matter the fact if they heard or not. "V-versus…a _hero_? I—I don't know…I can't tell…a failure? Yeah. A failure. No—wait…a-an idiotic failure? Yeah. Violence, hate, anger, loathe…versus an idiotic failure…"

Sakumo stared. "Where are you hearing these things?"

"There…are…" Kakashi's voice died out, though. His eyes widened again. He slowly looked up at his father, his eyes returning to the true grey eyes Sakumo knew and loved. He pulled the Kama out, dropping the weapon with shaking breaths and hands. Tears gathered in his eyes. He felt his breathing quicken. "T-tou-chan…"

Sakumo put his hand over the wound. He reached out and pulled Kakashi into another hug, the wind instantly dropping as if it never were there in the first place. Kakashi's hands were still wet with blood as he fisted Sakumo's jōnin, tears spilling like rivers.

"You're okay," Sakumo murmured in reassurance. "You're okay. I'm fine, this is nothing."

Kakashi honestly couldn't remember anything since he asked Obito to possess him. Waking up to seeing the very thing he wanted to remain alive straying to the path of death made him feel something akin to mistrust. He turned his gaze to Obito, who was crying as well, with dark glazed over eyes.

Obito smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "They all…they all got free…our dark selves…Kirai, Inu…"

Kakashi looked away, tucking his bloody face into his father's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Obito repeated quietly. "I will handle them best I can. You can rest easy."

 _Kirai…_ Kakashi echoed. _Kirai…Inu…Obito…Kakashi…_

The young Hatake moved his head to look at Tsunade, Minato and Kushina. But he was picked up by his father, and they were moved out of his line of sight.

And besides, he didn't need to look twice to know that they were hesitant in approaching.

 _We can't be let free…_

(And then he blacked out completely).

* * *

 **"Tetsu no Taka-Sa Keimusho": "Iron Heights Prision"; made up but derived from DC's Iron Heights.**


	5. Xenophobia

**TrashHybrid13: Haha, thanks. There's a time skip in this chapter, too, and it addresses Inu in some sort of way. We also get a glimpse of the other side of the other side…um, well, if that makes sense. You'll find out. :3**

 **Due to some minor malfunctions, I have seemed to of forgotten about . Thanks, Assassins Creed.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm going through some fucking stupid ASF social drama that I don't even know why I'm involved, so UPDATES may be SLOW.**

 **Original chapter word count: 6.6k~**

 **Recommended songs: Anguish of heartache by NKHOA and Seven Nations Army by The White Stripes (The Glitch Mob remix preferred).**

 **Enjoy! :3**

* * *

 _Chapter 5: Xenophobia_

* * *

Kakashi didn't open his eyes again until he heard people arguing. He could recognize the voices, though he couldn't put his finger as to who they belonged to exactly. But they were drowned out, so he couldn't tell what they were saying. Eventually, though, he just barely opened his eyes, and he could see the white ceiling of a hospital.

That was alarming. Didn't he get out of that hospital in Iwa?

"…that came from the Uchiha," a female voice spoke, "and I've heard stories of it—and I know for sure that your son has the Susano'o."

"But he's not an Uchiha. As far as I'm concerned the Susano'o came from the dōjutsu itself."

"No, I saw it myself. He clearly had the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Silence.

"Either someone transplanted Sharingan eyes into Kakashi without consent or knowledge, or it's something else," the woman continued in a hushed voice. "But the former is impossible, because if that actually happened then it would stay in a constant state of activation. The only other answer to this that I can think of is that your wife was an Uchiha no matter how much of a full-blooded Uzu—"

"Okay, Tsunade, that's enough."

"Uzumaki…? What is she talking about dattebane?"

Kakashi closed his eyes, though it wasn't like they were totally open in the first place.

"Sakumo, you seem to have some explaining to do."

"Okay— _fine_." Sakumo sighed stressfully. "Kakashi's mother was an Uzumaki."

"Wha— _how_? I thought I was the only Uzumaki in Konoha after Mito-baa's death dattebane! Who was it?"

"Uzumaki Kikku," Sakumo replied. "She was exiled from the clan because she created a jutsu that required the sacrifice of the users soul. She was excepted into Konoha as an official shinobi of the village rather than her clan but it was kept hushed by everyone involved."

Now that was interesting. In this dimension, he was half Uzumaki.

Well.

"What's her relation to me?"

"Aunt," Tsunade said. "She was the youngest, though, so if she was still around today she would be just as old as myself. Matter of fact, Kakashi's mother was Sakumo's teammate for a time being."

The air was heavy, and there was no sound. He took the chance to open his eyes again, when the tension was easier to break. His eyelids were heavy, and when he moved to turn his head, he felt irritably stiff.

Kakashi looked to his right. Tsunade was standing next to Sakumo, who was sunk in a seat close to Kakashi. However, Tsunade's left arm was in a cast. That was confusing. He looked to his left, where Minato was looming over the bed a little. Kushina was standing behind him, her eyes staring into the distance with thoughts that knew no box to stay in. But what caught his attention was the fact that her left arm was in a sling as well.

"Kakashi…" Sakumo said quietly.

The child turned his head, his true grey eyes landing on the face of his father. "Yeah?"

Sakumo smiled, the corners of his smile stretching up to his ears with uncontainable happiness. His eyes became glassy with happiness, which was another thing that confused Kakashi. (He seemed to have missed some details).

Sakumo leaned forward a little. "How are you feeling?"

Kakashi blinked. "Fine…" he replied suspiciously. He sat up, his face twisting into a frown. "Why do you look like you're about to cry, tou-chan?"

The eld Hatake blinked multiple times before shaking his head. "Oh, it's…it's just that you've been asleep for a while," he stated. He smiled, his eyes curving up happily. "You made us worry a lot."

Tsunade grunted with a huff of air and crossed her arms, her foot tapping. "You've been asleep for three weeks," she said bluntly. "Do you know what comatose is?"

Kakashi did, but he was five. "I've…seen mentions of it in books," he said.

"It's basically long periods of deep unconsciousness," she explained. "We had no idea what wounds caused you to fall into a coma, though. All you physically suffered from was mild hypothermia—oh, do you know what that is, too?"

Kakashi gave her a deadpan.

Tsunade glared childishly.

Sakumo laughed a little. "He's got some knowledge of the medical field…" he said.

"What, an iryō-nin Hatake?" she teased.

"Wouldn't that be interesting," Sakumo mused. He stared at Kakashi.

The child gave a look. "What?"

Minato chuckled. " _That_ would be something to see," he chimed. He looked at the blonde woman with a sly smile. "Perhaps Tsunade-hime can teach him?"

"No way in hell!" the Senju shouted.

"Actually, that sounds cool," Kakashi said. "To be able to knock someone out with the flick of your finger, I mean."

Tsunade blinked in surprise. "What—you _actually_ want to learn _my_ medical ninjutsu?"

It would assuredly change a lot. Besides, within the Tsukuyomi, he did learn quite a few medical things from Obito, Naruto, Sakura and Tsunade. Sakura also demonstrated a few of the jutsu's the Akatsuki of that illusion created. He memorized it with his Sharingan, too, and…well, it's power. He needed power. So he shrugged. "Why not?"

"Alright! It's official!" Minato exclaimed. "Tsunade-hime—train him!"

"I didn't agree to this, you sissy!" she snapped.

"Wha—you too?!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"You're one to talk!"

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay…"

"How about we get some lunch?" Kushina suddenly suggested with a strained smile that seemed genuine enough to pull but fake enough to be forced. Kakashi looked at her, and she was quick to bunch up under his stare in sadness. "I'm sure everyone's hungry after all this talking."

Tsunade sighed. "Fine. When I come back I'm doing a full checkup on the puppy," she said briskly.

The trio were quick to leave. Sakumo waved silently, smiling his farewell after them. Kakashi watched them leave too, finding it rather irritating that Kushina was the very first to exit the room.

"Tou-chan, why is Kushina so…" Kakashi frowned. He couldn't find the words to explain it. She seemed…tense, but at the exact same time he could see that she was genuinely feeling intimacy and sadness.

Sakumo smiled again. "Don't worry about her," he assured. "She's just glad that you're awake again. Three weeks is a long time, you know. It's been…it's been lonely at home."

The young Hatake turned his head away, his eyes staring out through the window. The late midday sunlight was shining overhead, borderline evening, and Kakashi could easily tell that it was in between four and four-thirty. It was rather clear for a late autumn day, though there were thin clouds scattered across the sky.

But then again, it was Hi no Kuni. One either gets a sunny day or hundred of feet of snow, rain or leaves.

He couldn't help but think back to the last thing he remembered—the last thought he thought before blacking out.

' _We can't be let free_ ', he recalled. A sad smile carved at his lips. Why couldn't he…

…

…Oh. Yes.

He impaled _Sakumo_.

He impaled his own _father_.

He didn't remember anything before that, really. He remembered escaping the hospital—another memory gap—waking up in a small rectangle room with three corpses; a Kama and kunai were in hand, too—memory gap. And then he remembered pulling that same Kama out of his father's stomach.

 _'We can't be let free', hm…?_

Kakashi rubbed his left eye, suddenly feeling irritation in it.

"Who's 'we'?" Sakumo suddenly asked.

Kakashi looked at his father with a frown, pulling his hand away from his face. "What?"

Sakumo chuckled. "You were talking out loud," he said. "Can you tell me who 'we' is?"

The young Hatake wasn't entirely sure himself. But he knew that Inu existed now as a separate person within him. Inu was far too different from Kakashi to be Kakashi—and yet that other person was within him, and he didn't like it.

And if Inu was a reflection of the time he spent in ANBU…well, then the other personality is very quiet, very violent, very cold, very calculating, very detached on both a physical and emotional level and overall just a very dark persona.

Torture during missions was something that Kakashi was told he experienced—but he never remembered it, and the same went for the severe abuse he went through when he was sent on a long-term mission for the liberation of a gender and age mixed whorehouse. It was possible that Inu was created to cope with it, since MPD originated from severe sexual abuse and, really, just extremely long-term stressful abusive situations.

He was told he experienced these many things, most on minor scales because he was just that stupid. He never remembered it, though.

Another thing about Inu was that he didn't give a damn about comrades, though he kept them alive because of reputation.

Inu doesn't have a reputation here.

"Kakashi?"

He blinked at the sound of his name. "Hm?"

"Do you know who 'we' is?" Sakumo repeated.

"No," he replied. He frowned. "I don't know where that thought came from." And it was true, too. He didn't really feel like that thought came from him.

The eld Hatake blinked, obviously thinking because his face was blank. Kakashi frowned a little more. That was an abnormal look on his father, too—or at least for Kakashi to see it happen so suddenly. He didn't know why Sakumo was so troubled about a random thought.

"How many other random thoughts have you been hearing?" Sakumo inquired.

"Um…that was the only one that I remember."

 _Liar. I've spoken so many times._

Kakashi frowned again. "…Well…" he drawled, "…there might've been more…but…I can't remember…"

Sakumo blinked again, his blank face staying blank until it lit up with a smile. "You don't have to remember," he said. "But, anyways, graduation is coming up. Do you want to—"

"Yes!" Kakashi exclaimed. He almost completely jumped out of bed, his hands resting on his father's knees as he shoved his face into Sakumo's. "I do! I really, _really_ do! When is it?!"

Sakumo laughed. "Don't worry. You got plenty of time to recover."

Kakashi sighed in relief, sitting back down. "'Kay, good…"

He couldn't miss his graduation. That would create too much of an unknown factor—and the unknown is very dangerous when it comes to changing things and keeping them in line.

 _Wouldn't want violence…haha._

* * *

When Tsunade got back, she did a very thorough checkup and went the extra mile for diagnosis. She found nothing wrong with his body, mind or really his physical condition as a whole. Trauma was predicted, though no signs of it showed—and the blonde Sannin decided to spend the rest of her time researching the why and how that was.

Kakashi knew, though. But he didn't want to speak up, since best case scenario was all eyes on him. Worst case scenario would an asylum—but that was unlikely.

…Or he hoped so…

The nurses and doctors checked him up to see for theirselves, and when they, too, found no alarming signs of mental trauma, they decided to discharge him the day after he woke up.

He slept through the night peacefully, and when the morning came around, he woke up with a heavy body. Doctors came in again, checked him—and he was heading home with his father.

After that event, time kinda passed in a blur.

Kakashi focused on his physical ability, building up endurance and speed over that passing time. General jutsu training came into play when he officially graduated a few weeks after his birthday.

Unexpectedly, a third war started.

Iwa wasn't too damaged in terms of their military arms, matter of fact. They were just really scared of Konoha. But they still had the balls to fight them. Only this time, Kumo and Kiri were their friends. And it turns out that the alliance they formed had the same objective: Revenge.

Because in the first war, Kiri was demolished by Senju Tobirama. Because in the first war, the Shodai Raikage was killed by the Shodai Hokage. Because in the second war, Iwa was partially destroyed and permanently scarred by Hatake Kakashi.

So Kakashi trained harder. He developed Raikiri at the age of seven, used it in battle, saved an alarming amount of people, and gained jōnin promotion. He was called "the youngest jōnin ever produced". That was probably true, too. But he also gained chūnin promotion fresh out of his academy graduation.

He was doing better than Itachi, who got his promotion at the age of…ten?

Kakashi couldn't remember.

But as the months continued, and as he repeatedly leaped into the battlefield with Minato, Kushina, Tsunade and many others, he felt like more and more people watched him with sharp, suspicious eyes.

It actually kind of scared him.

He really couldn't take much of the paranoia anymore. To handle it, he bought battle-sturdy cloth and printed fūinjutsu on the inside, crafting it into a white open-front apron at the age of eight. The ink was made so that it disappeared, and the chakra could only be seen with dōjutsu like the Byakugan and the Sharingan, if the users were advanced enough. It could be seen upon activation, though, along with the ink.

Really, all the seals did was preserve mass chakra reserves and jutsu's. Every single kanji held one jutsu he copied, and since he copied well over a thousand jutsu with his Sharingan, he could create a thousand kanji that would individually hold one jutsu. He stored countless weapons stolen from shops and enemies nation and worldwide, some being custom made in a black market deal. Poisons, antidotes, medical material—the list could go on.

The chakra mass fūin needed five kanji per preservation, and a sixth or seventh for long-term reserving.

Since the kanji were small he could make ten in all and still have enough room for a few hundred more fūinjutsu.

As the months continued to drag on, and on, and on, and as he was taught by Tsunade, he almost felt unbeatable. That was Inu thinking, though. He wasn't unbeatable. Living therein was a weakness, for if a vital spot was hit, he'd die—and depending on the severity, it would either be a swift death or a slow death.

That's where Tsunade's teachings came in. The diamond on his forehead was red like Hashimoto's was once upon a time, and it was covered up by his bangs and Konoha headband. It was the evolved version of Tsunade's, and that made it better.

So it required no long-term chakra charging.

He grinned a little at the thought of it. Okay, maybe he was near-unbeatable.

"Kakashi."

The eight year old Hatake turned his head over his shoulder towards his door. "Yeah?" he replied.

Sakumo slid open the dojo entrance and smiled at the messy workspace the child jōnin made. "I see you're at it again with the mess," he said.

Kakashi gave a sheepish look. "Sorry?"

Sakumo chuckled, walking up to his son and crouching down next to him. "What are you working on?"

"I bought one of those basic storage scrolls from the store," Kakashi replied. "I wanted to alter it and make it strong enough to hold a Bushin."

Sakumo smiled brightly. "That's advanced," he said pridefully. "I don't think anybody has made it happen just yet."

Kakashi nodded his agreement and grinned brightly. "It'll work," he said.

"You sound awfully sure."

"Well…it's theoretical…but I think it's possible. Mito could create elemental seals and seal jutsu away—or, at least, teleport it or redirect it," Kakashi mumbled.

Sakumo chuckled. "Will you be doing that, too?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I dunno." Honestly, he found himself fascinated in fūinjutsu. Prior he just used it briefly. But _now_? He was all over it.

"Kushina's here, by the way," Sakumo stated. "So is Minato. They've got some news."

"What's it about?" Kakashi asked.

"That's a surprise," Sakumo said, waving his hands like he was telling a cheesy ghost story.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and put the fūinjutsu stuff away as quickly as he could, following his father into the kitchen where both sixteen year old Kushina and Minato were waiting.

Kushina instantly brightened up and gave an open-mouthed smile. "I'm a jōnin-sensei!" she blurted.

Instantly, Kakashi blanched. His eyes widened a little. "What?"

That wasn't right.

Minato smiled in amusement from where he sat in a dining chair. "Yeah, she's a jōnin-sensei," he rephrased. "Originally you were gonna be in that same cell but then you got promoted to jōnin."

Kakashi's mouth went dry. It was true that he rushed his promotion to avoid getting involved with Obito—since, well, the Uchiha died because of him—and Rin, who died because of him just like Obito had. "Oh. So then what are you gonna do about it?" he asked.

"We were thinking about letting you join the team as a co-jōnin-sensei," Sakumo explained, putting his hand on Kakashi's shoulder with a bright smile. "You are flexible enough to work with a lot of people. I've seen it multiple times. Kushina's team could use the help, right?"

Kakashi looked up at his father and frowned a little.

"What's wrong?" Minato asked.

"Isn't kind of strange to have two jōnin and two genin on one team?" he questioned. Really, it wasn't that. It was more like involvement and paralyzing fear of loss.

"No, it's happened before," Minato pointed out. "Just not at such a young age. You don't have to worry about them neglecting you because you're significantly stronger. It'll be more like the opposite; they'll look up to you more than anything."

Kakashi's frown deepened, but when he felt the presence of Obito, he felt some reassurance. "Well…okay."

Sakumo grinned. "It won't be that bad," he said. "You'll have fun!"

Kakashi hoped that that would be true, but deep down, he knew that it wouldn't be that way. He was gonna be busy.

Two years of playing bystander was over. He was the MVP now, and he had to work as quietly as possible under the burning stares of his peers and comrades.

* * *

Kushina had given him the details of the team meet up. It was set for tomorrow, and the meeting was set at ten in the morning. They had already passed the bell test a day prior, and graduated about two or so days before with flying colors.

So Kakashi, to pass the time, worked on his seals. He, with Kushina's permission, was granted access to the Uzumaki fūinjutsu scrolls that were salvaged from the dead, great Uzushio. Minato and Tsunade had access as well, along with less than five other people that included Jiraiya. The Hokage didn't need access permission, nor do relatives to the Uzumaki.

But, while Kakashi was indeed an Uzumaki, it seemed to be held under the table with the preciseness of a wise man. Exposed but never directly exposed—and when exposed it was denied.

He was borrowing some information on storage fūinjutsu.

Apparently, storage fūinjutsu was a dimension jutsu.

He was so happy that Obito was around.

"Help me," Kakashi demanded.

"Fine," Obito grumbled. He examined the beaten up Uzumaki scroll, his eyes dragging up and down as he read it. "…Oh, that's simple enough. Really all you need to do is make chakra bags."

"Um…"

"That's simple, too," Obito stated. "The chakra bags are to engulf the Bushin within the storage seal to prevent distortion and keep it functional."

Kakashi frowned and put his thumb to his lips.

"What the Bushin is being put into is a pocket of empty space," Obito explained. "There is no way of survival. So by putting them in the chakra bags, gases are kept in. It takes chakra control. But it's possible and you've got brilliant chakra control here."

Kakashi blinked and nodded a little. He would've responded, but Kushina was right outside the door, lifting her hand to knock. She was hesitant and quiet, and considering her chakra signature was hidden, she didn't want to be noticed. He was about to reach out and start figuring out how to make this "chakra bag" that Obito spoke of, but Kushina knocked. "Come in," he said.

The sixteen year old slid the door open, closing it behind her heels and giving a warm smile. "Hi," she greeted.

Kakashi glanced at her over his shoulder and blinked. "I thought you left with Minato."

She walked up to him and sat down. "I decided to stay behind and talk to you for a moment. You seemed really anxious to be working with kids your age."

Kakashi blinked again and turned his head back to the blank rolled out scroll in front of him. That wasn't entirely true. He was fine with whoever it was that he was assigned to as a teammate, but when it came to Obito and Rin…it was honestly scary. But keeping his distance and refusing to meet them would create so many unknown factors; like, their deaths, for example…

That was what scared him. The unknown. It made him anxious. He was a jōnin this time around, he's got authority and respect in spite of his age. Kushina was the new sensei of the seventh ward.

Changed factor after another.

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"Will you tell me why you're so anxious?" Kushina inquired.

Kakashi blinked for a third time. "…I…feel judged by a lot of people," he replied almost hesitantly—primarily because it was a partial lie, and he's never actually lied to _Kushina_ before. "I feel a lot of people staring at me…and it's very irritating as well as stressful. It feels like they're expecting me to pull a shuriken out of the socket of my eye and use it to kill a Kage."

Kushina looked down. "Yeah. I had high expectations, too," she mumbled. "It was a lot of pressure to work under. If you need to talk about it, you can with me."

He looked the the Uzumaki briefly before giving a small smile. "…Yeah…sure," he agreed quietly. "…Anything else…?"

The woman was quiet for a second before she smiled. "Nah, I just wanted to see if you were okay or not," she replied. "Make sure to show up without a stick up your ass dattebane."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, and waved his farewell as Kushina took her leave. She slid the door closed, and walked away on light feet.

"Really? You're _lying_?" Obito murmured.

"Shut up, you hypocrite," Kakashi shot back quietly under his breath, and he went to work.

Eventually, dinner drove around the corner and arrived. It was eaten up, and Kakashi decided to go to sleep, even though it was only about nine at night. He went to sleep not even thirty minutes later—

* * *

And he woke up in a brightly lit meadow. Obito was sitting behind him a little ways away, a vast field of a green sea stretching out into the far horizon. Behind the Uchiha was a forest with towering oak trees. The sky was a clear blue, and the sun was shining brilliantly. The air was relatively warm thanks to it, but it was also comfortably cold.

Kakashi lifted his arms, closing his eyes and breathing in the beautifully clean air of nature. "Where is this?" he asked.

"The Pure Land," Obito responded. "The Pure Land of our original dimension. Something isn't right. We got dragged back here because someone needs to be sent back—"

"Kaka-sensei? Obito?"

Both of the men froze and and turned their heads towards the horizon.

Uzumaki Naruto stood there, hair pulled back into a loose French braid and one Byakugan eye staring at them.

Kakashi was quick to look away, his arms dropping to his sides. "What happened?" he asked.

Naruto blinked and looked at him. "I should be asking the same question dattebayo," he grumbled.

Obito stood up. "How'd you die?" he snapped. Kakashi gave him a pointed stare.

Naruto looked down. "The after effects of bijū extraction got to me," he said. "It was an instant death because all of my chakra backlashed on me due to not having the bijū power to support it."

Kakashi tucked his hands in his pockets. "You can't be here," he said.

The blonde looked at the Hatake. "Obviously—"

"I don't care. You've changed _too many people_ to just _die_ like that," Kakashi snapped. He looked at Naruto with dangerously narrowed eyes. "Now, I said you can't be here."

The younger man blinked in surprise, his jaw somewhat slacking as if he was gonna talk. But no words came out, so he just clamped his mouth shut.

"You were expecting death, weren't you?" Obito asked.

Naruto glanced at the Uchiha and smiled a little bit. "Yeah…the only thing that was keeping me alive was my Rikudō chakra, but I guess even that couldn't grant me a longer life span."

Kakashi sighed. "I'm assuming no one knew this."

"Only Kurama."

"Of course…" the Hatake mumbled.

"…Sensei…"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Naruto frowned. He looked at the dead Hatake, and instantly his frown deepened. "How'd you die?"

"Seizure, remember?" Obito grumbled. "And chakra exhaustion."

"Yeah, but I know for sure that Kaka-sensei wasn't epileptic. And his reserves were large enough, so he wouldn't have died fighting an A-ranked ninja," Naruto pointed out. He looked between the two, his eyes widening. "…Unless…unless it was _suicide_."

Kakashi blinked and turned his entire body towards the Uzumaki. He walked up to the Nanadaime and sighed, putting his own gloved hands on his students shoulders. "Yes, okay. You caught me," he said, deciding to go along with it. He patted his students cheek, offering a smile way too bright for the subject. "I had no place there, Naruto. I've honestly watched too many people leave in my time, whether it be a comrade or an enemy. I've went through six teams while in ANBU, whereas the average ANBU doesn't even go through one team.

"They all died. My teammates died. My family died. You almost died. Sasuke almost died. Sakura almost died…Obito died, too, and I watched it happen _twice_ , and I've seen his corpse thrie. Can you imagine that trauma? And not mention, I've watched Minato die twice… _twice_. I've killed _my_ comrades. I've put them into lethal situations as their leader…well, you probably already hold some of that weight…but that's what being a leader of a shinobi village is all about."

Naruto looked down sadly, having no words to speak because, really, what Kakashi said was true. The man was, once upon a time, nothing but a living relic of death.

"You've got a family," he continued. "A place that doesn't insure death. Now get your ass back home."

"Naruto," Obito said. It caught the blonde's full attention as he turned his head towards the older man. "Appreciate the fact that he's dead. He needs the rest."

Naruto blinked in surprise again. His eye became glassy with unshed tears, looking down again. A white vortex appeared behind him, and Kakashi pushed him into it.

The blonde disappeared in the swirl.

"We should see how it went before we wake up in the other dimension," Obito said.

Kakashi nodded his agreement, and as Obito's hand clamped his shoulder, he felt his body get stretched and squished before his line of vision flashed white.

"His tenkutsu failed to support him."

Kakashi looked at the person who had said it. Of course, it was Sakura. He blinked down at her. She was on her knees next to Naruto's collapsed form, her hands looming over his chest and glowing a pretty mint green. Some shinobi were keeping the crowd controlled, and Boruto was standing behind the arm of a chūnin, his younger sister clinging to him. The people were pushed further and further back until they were out of complete ear shot.

But, Boruto being Boruto, he broke through and ran towards his father, eyes wide with worry. His sister, Himawari, joined the charge. However, Shikamaru stepped in their way.

Hinata was already with Sakura, scanning her husband with her Byakugan.

Obito sighed. "Obviously, Naruto wasn't smart."

"I hadn't noticed," Kakashi shot back. It wasn't very smart to keep the fact that one is dying slowly a secret. For someone dear to drop dead and not even tell others why prior is just stupid and selfish. "Shouldn't he be waking up?"

"Just watch."

Hinata pointed to his missing eye. "There," she murmured.

Sakura nodded and instantly moved her hands to cover his eye. She pumped chakra into the tenkutsu, and very soon Naruto's chakra sparked and started flowing again.

The Nanadaime himself shot up, sucking in a deep breath of air with one wide eye.

"Naruto!" Hinata instantly started crying and hugged the blonde's neck, drying into his shoulder. Himawari latched onto her father, crying loudly, and so did Boruto.

Kakashi smiled happily and chuckled. "Told him so."

"You sound so _cocky_ ," Obito grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Shut up."

Obito looked like he was about to cry, his face pathetically crafted to make it so. "Why would you say such a thing, you know I'm butt hurt."

Kakashi punched the Uchiha's arm. "I said shut up," he snapped.

"Okay, now that is abuse. I'll have to report you."

"We're dead."

"I'm sure there's a place where your ass can leave sore and hurting."

"That sounds awkward and almost gay. Are you perhaps implying something?"

Obito instantly became flustered, his face going beet red. He stuttered and stumbled over words, his arms moving as if he was reciting a strange dance before he just decided to punch Kakashi's arm. "You need to eat some soap!"

"I did that once. I had to go to the hospital because I ate the entire thing."

"… _Why_?!"

"Okay, to be fair, I was high on prescription medicine. A side effect was hallucination and I honestly thought that the soap was dango."

"You're a fucking moron," Obito grumbled. "Why would dango be in the _bathroom_?"

"I thought that the bathroom was the kitchen, too."

The Uchiha laughed.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and looked at Naruto—who was looking straight at them with a wide but amused eye. "Can he see us?"

"Probably, probably not," Obito replied. "I'm guessing he can. That's a side effect of waking up from death."

"I've woken up from death before, and lemme tell ya, that's not how it works," Kakashi grumbled.

"To be fair, we _pushed_ him back to the living," the Uchiha pointed out. "Actually, I take back my statement from before…I believe he should be able to."

Naruto blinked and smiled, wrapping his arms around the three people that latched onto him like leeches. "Did I worry you?" he asked.

Sakura huffed, glaring and cracking her finger joints. "You are really dumb!" she snarled. "You have explaining to do, _Hokage-sama_."

Naruto's smile became strained and nervous. "Later?"

Sakura stared skeptically before huffing again, he eyebrows still creasing in a dangerous way. "…Okay—okay, _fine_. _Later_. But any later than _later_ and you won't be seeing the outside world for a _real_ long time."

Hinata raised her head and laughed a little.

Kakashi glanced at Obito. "How long do we have?"

"We have an eternity," he replied. "Realistically speaking, I'm the motor for it to work. As we speak, it's on-hold."

Kakashi's eyes widened a little. "Seriously? I thought there was no 'motor'."

Obito shook his head. "No…the motor for here is the same, too. But I don't know who it is. It's gotta be a dead person, though."

The Hatake nodded in understanding. He'd…like to stay, if only for a little while. Two years of nothing but training and standing on the sidelines reminded him of the old times he had here—in _this_ place. A little vacation before the disaster would be nice.

He smiled and crossed his arms. He's got the time of the world.

* * *

Sakura crossed her arms, jutting her hip out and narrowing her eyes. "Okay. So. Explain."

Naruto smiled sheepishly, though it was strained and filled with nerves. He was sitting on his favorite Hokage desk chair, his elbows on the armrests and his fingers intertwined. Hinata and Sasuke were in the room; Sasuke was just coming back as a visit after a frog summon was sent after him not even an hour ago. The children were with Ino, and the ANBU were sent away. "Um."

"Is it seriously _that_ hard to explain, dobe?" Sasuke grumbled.

"It's just a bit much to soak in," he pointed out. "Can't the pieces be put together?"

Sakura glared. "I would, but I don't understand tenkutsu as well as you do apparently."

Naruto chuckled nervously, briefly glancing at his wife before sighing. "It's bijū extraction," he started.

Kakashi crossed his arms, which drew some attention from the Nanadaime, but it was ignored. (Sasuke did glance out of the corner of his uncovered eye, though).

"I don't get it," Hinata said. "I thought the bijū extraction's after effects didn't last for more than a decade."

Naruto's smile returned, only this time it was…sad. "That's only applied when, A, if you survive, and B, if only one bijū was extracted," he explained. "I had eight bijū extracted from me all at once. The pressure of their chakra was lifted instantly and my tenkutsu are used to the pressure. And we all know that tenkutsu can't adjust or recover from chakra pressures."

"By all means, you should be long dead if that were the case," Sasuke stated.

"I should," Naruto agreed.

The two women blanched and looked rather startled. The Uchiha, on the other hand, looking uneasy.

"Kurama hasn't slept since the extraction," Naruto continued. "I, myself, have barely slept. I have to stay in a near-constant state of alert or else my chakra will backlash on me like earlier."

"Oh, boy, you've gotten your panties in quite a twist, haven't ya?" Obito inquired rhetorically as he circled around Naruto's desk. He stopped, though, right behind the blonde. "Chakra pressure, ya say? Pathetic excuse. Kakashi, do you agree?"

Kakashi blinked and looked at the dead Uchiha. "…Hm? What? Obito, did you say something?"

"I'll kick your ass."

"I obviously missed something."

Obito glared, his arm whipping out as he pointed an accusing finger at his best friend. "Chakra pressure!"

"Oh. What about it?"

"Does it exist?!"

"…Um?"

Obito crossed his arms and nodded. "Thought so. So it's something else."

"I mean…it's a tenkutsu disease symptom. It's not something that just spontaneously happens on its own," Kakashi continued. He stared at Naruto pointedly. "And the disease is incurable."

Naruto leaned forward. "There's really nothing you guys can do about it," he said. "I've looked into it. Damaged tenkutsu has no cure, and not even Kurama can heal it. Not without putting me in an unrecoverable coma, unrecoverable death state or coffin. It's…fatal, too, and it showed today."

Hesitant glances of sadness were exchanged.

Kakashi sighed. He could never escape drama, could he?

"If that's the case…" Hinata murmured, "…then do—do you know how l-long you have…?"

Naruto smiled sadly. "Not very long, I'm guessing," he said. "Less than a decade is the max…but I could die tomorrow for all we know."

The trio went deathly silent, skin palling and movement stilling to mere shallow breaths.

Kakashi hummed. "That's gonna stress them so much," he murmured.

"You could've at least lied a little," Obito told the blonde. He sighed and put his palm on his forehead. "Stupid…"

Naruto looked down, sighing as well and standing up. He looked back up at them and smiled brightly. "I'll tell you guys when I won't feel right," he said. "And…please be careful with who you tell 'ttebayo."

The two women nodded, but Sasuke narrowed his dark eye. He turned and walked away, opening and closing the door with an upset air encasing his presence. Sakura glanced at the two and chased after her husband, Hinata deciding to leave. She hugged and kissed her husband farewell, and left somberly.

Naruto glanced at Kakashi. "You two weren't making that easy," he said irritably.

Kakashi smiled and leaned against the wall behind him. "You deserve it for not telling us anything," he shot back.

"Listen, we can't stay here for much longer," Obito spoke up, appearing in front of the desk with his dark eyes staring up at the blonde, who was a full six inches taller. His palms pressed against the desktop as he leaned forward, a frown furrowing his face and creasing his facial scars. "We won't be there to save your ass and send you back…but then again even if you _did_ drop in again I doubt we'd be able to revive you… _again_."

Naruto frowned. "I thought Sakura and Hinata did the saving."

"Chakra, tenkutsu and spirits go hand-in-hand. If one isn't present then the other two fail. Why do you think a human could never survive a tenkutsu or chakra disease, hm?" Obito shot back. He almost glared. "Step down as Hokage ASAP."

Naruto blinked, giving a questioning look. "Why should I?"

"It consumes too much of your time," the Uchiha pointed out. "I know you can see that. Now, stop being so stubborn and start searching for a predecessor."

The Uzumaki snorted and sat down. "If Kakashi was still around, then it would've been convenient to the extreme and it wouldn't take time."

Kakashi blinked and turned his head away.

Obito did glare this time, the angry red eyes of the Sharingan staring deep into Naruto's unfazed, lone Byakugan. "You have too many damned options. So I would _get to it_ if I were you," he hissed through clenched teeth. " _Death_ rests on your shoulders, Naruto. Take it from _me_ ; dying slowly doesn't just physically effect you. You'll get emotionally riled up. Really."

"What the hell would you know?" Naruto growled.

"That damned Tsukuyomi did more to me than you think!" Obito shouted, a fist slamming down on the table. Shockingly, the wood cracked loudly. He sneered. "I died _three_ fucking times in that place! _Three_! I can't believe you would have the fucking _nerve_ to ask _me_ that! What would _I_ know?! I would know more than _you_! My life experiences are worse than yours—so _listen_!"

Kakashi looked at the Uchiha with a pointed glare. "Obito," he warned, his voice tense and loud. "Back. Off. _Now_."

Obito growled almost anomalistically, disappearing without any trace of his visitation.

The Hatake sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "He…um…well, for a full seven years within the Tsukuyomi…his chakra reserves were slowly being eaten up, so he was dying slowly like you were…and he didn't say anything to me…or you, or Kushina—nobody, as far as I'm concerned."

Naruto blinked in surprise, though the hurt in his eye still remained from Obito's rant. "Isn't the Tsukuyomi supposed to be a _pleasant_ dream?"

Kakashi smiled sadly. "No…" he replied hoarsely. "No, no. I—I don't know why, but really it just…it seemed like an altered version of this world…no relief of pain. In fact, there was more pain in it than here. It was scary, Naruto…so, can—can you _please_ just take what he said into account? He's just scared. And…well, fear…fear can drive you to insanity."

Naruto looked down, but a smile grew. "Yeah…sure." He chuckled, his voice just a whisper as he closed his eyes and folded his hands. "Konohamaru could be good. Don't you agree, Kaka-sensei?"

"Hokage-sama…who're talking to?"

The Nanadaime looked up, where an ANBU stood. He saw that Kakashi was no longer there, which saddened him a little because he would've liked to talk to the Hatake a little bit longer about the man's apparent suicide.

He looked at the ANBU and flashed a toothy grin, blinking away unshed tears that burned his eye. "Just talking to thin air. Don't worry about it, dattebayo."

* * *

 **"Kikku": "Chrysanthemum"**


	6. Syntrofosphobia

**HybridTrash13: Haha, yeah. You'll definitely see it some time in the future. Half-Uzumaki Kakashi is never around lmao, so I just kinda thought what he would be like. Uhh…not really much of an official jōnin sensei, but yeah close enough. Oh yeah, definite trouble between Obito and Naruto. Haha, thanks for your review! :3**

 **yo no: I know that. Did I get it wrong somewhere?**

 **Zombiegirl2323: Haha, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying this. :3**

 **What no I totally didn't forget to update what are you talking about**

 **Recommended songs: Monody by TheFatRat (feat. Laura Brehm).**

 **Original word count: 4.8k~**

 **Enjoy! :3**

* * *

 _Chapter 6: Syntrofosphobia_

* * *

Awakening in a different dimension must've done something to Kakashi, because he just didn't feel like he was in-place when he woke up early the next morning. He felt very uncomfortable, and when he sat up, he felt like he was going to vomit.

He swallowed and pushed himself onto his feet. He noticed that his breathing was kind of loud as he got himself dressed and geared up, something he didn't understand.

"It'll pass," Obito said as he stepped into the bedroom. "It's six in the morning. Go sleep some more, yeah?"

Kakashi blinked and looked at the spirit with a dead pan. "Not with what's happened in my mind," he grumbled. He rubbed the sweat away with his gloves, sighing and settling them aside to dry off. "He's dying…and we can't do anything about it."

Obito patted the eight year olds head and smiled in reassurance, dipping to the Hatake's level while keeping his cold hand on silver hair. "He deserves the rest," he pointed out. "He's fought for the entire world for two years with little to no sleep or relaxation."

Kakashi frowned, but eventually he nodded his agreement. "Yeah," he agreed quietly. "But he deserves a better ending."

"Death by bijū extraction would've been that better ending," Obito pointed out as he stepped away. "We all know that it's painful."

The boys frown deepened, his head lowering. He sighed and didn't say anything, instead just grabbing his gloves and slipping them on. "Will we be able to do anything about the Kyūbi…?"

"…That depends," Obito stated. "You'll have to decide."

"…Kakashi?"

The Hatake bunched up and turned his head towards his door, true grey eyes wide.

Obito stiffened as well. "Shit…"

"Yeah?" he responded calmly.

Sakumo opened the door, and Obito disappeared. The man frowned. "Who are you talking to?"

Kakashi blinked and looked at the Konoha headband he still had yet to put on. "No one," he said. "Just thinking out loud."

Sakumo's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he glanced in between the headband and Kakashi. But then he smiled, though it seemed tad too forced. "Alright," he said.

The younger Hatake felt rather uncomfortable under the beams of that forced and faked smile. His brow creased as he stared at the metal plate of the headband.

Sakumo's hand touched his sons shoulder. "What's wrong? Tired?"

Kakashi suddenly winced. He felt like he was remembering something, but when mere feelings and sensations raked at his memory, he could only wave it off. "I guess."

Sakumo looked at Kakashi again before smiling. "Alright, then. Since you're up so early, why don't we go and get some dango at the dango shop? I hear they have some new recipes."

The young Hatake focused on the very moment of getting dango. He loved sweets in all honesty, but he came to dislike them primarily because of the memories they carry. So he brightened up. He probably looked like a very happy puppy at the mention of the dango, because Sakumo laughed warmly and loudly.

 _How can I forget…? Sakumo is doing this…he needs to be gone._

* * *

Kakashi thought he would feel uneasy meeting his "new" team, but upon seeing them, he never felt more relieved in his life. They looked…happy. But he could instantly tell that the happiness on their faces were more like masks and less genuine.

Instead, his uneasiness rose from their happy masks. It made him almost scared. _Why_ did they need to wear those masks…?

He crossed his arms and stared them down. It was portrayed in a way that made it seem like he didn't take a liking to Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito. Kushina knew better though. She recognized the face he was making, as it was a guarded one: One of sensitivity and fear.

She slapped his back, pushing him forward a little. "You look constipated," she said. A grin stretched across her face. "Relax, will ya? They're still your friends."

Kakashi rubbed his back awkwardly, glaring up at the woman. "That hurt, Kushina…" he grumbled.

"Kushina- _sensei_ ," Obito was quick to correct. A baby grin of pride mimicked Kushina's own grin as he gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah, sure," Kakashi mumbled.

Rin smiled brightly. "It's great to see you again," she said. "It's been three years, right? I can't really remember the last time I saw you."

Kakashi snorted almost sheepishly. "I've been busy," he pointed out.

"I'm sure of it," Rin agreed. "You're jōnin now, right? You've certainly grown a lot."

Obito crossed his arms and glared. "So we have _two_ jōnin? That's unfair."

Kushina smiled. "Play nice, children," she said. "It was Kakashi's choice to come here, and it probably would've been bad if he didn't. Genin teams always need four man cells until they are chūnin."

Obito still kept his glare. " _So_? Two jōnin and two genin _still_ is unfair."

"Yes. Yes it is. We've evaluated that," Kakashi grumbled. He rolled his eyes. "This team would've been put on-hold until another genin was found and put here, and trust me almost all of those genin are dead physically, emotionally or mentally."

Kushina bopped his head. "Hush 'ttebane," she snapped. She turned her face back towards the two other genin. "The war isn't making it easy is what he's saying. This was convenience at its finest, kiddos. So can you at _least_ appreciate that much?"

Rin nodded her understanding clearly, but Obito was a different story. He just huffed and turned his glare back into a stare at the floor. But Kakashi knew better. Obito did understand, to a consent, but what he most likely didn't understand was what made the Hatake so _strong_.

"Well, I know that you guys can pass the test in a jiffy, so we'll just skip it," Kushina said. "Introductions or ramen first?"

"Ramen."

"Introductions."

Kakashi huffed a little. "Can't we just get dango…"

Kushina laughed. "How about introductions _during_ ramen _and_ dango?"

Obito gave a toothy grin in agreement while Rin just nodded. Kakashi himself didn't make any physical response, but the look in his true grey eyes told Kushina the story.

He was afraid of judgement—and a distraction would be an _amazing_ relief.

The Uzumaki would have to talk to Rin and Obito about that later. Or have Minato do it…after she acquainted them… _maybe_ …

"Oh, I saw that a new ramen shop opened," Rin chimed. "I hear it's amazing. Should we try it out?"

"We're stopping and getting dango, though," Kakashi interrupted. "I've been craving it all day."

"I didn't know you have cravings," Kushina muttered. Then she frowned. "Actually, aren't you a bit young to have _cravings_?"

"Well…I do stay up late a lot…" Kakashi muttered back almost sheepishly. They turned and walked away from the training grounds where they met up, heading towards the assumed Ichiraku's.

"That's not good," Rin started. "You'll have unbalanced hormone production."

Kakashi shrugged, raising his arms and making a practical expression that emphasized his apathy towards unbalanced hormones. "Adrenaline works wonders."

"That's even _worse_!" the brunette cried.

The Hatake chuckled nervously as he scratched his cheek unconsciously, Obito looking very confused and Kushina just looking amused.

Their team was one step closer to what they formerly were: _Content_.

But Kakashi couldn't feel like home just yet, because the uneasiness was still scratching at his stomach ominously.

* * *

As suspected, the "new ramen shop" was indeed Ichiraku's Ramen.

That made Kakashi feel a little bit happy but at the same time nostalgic. This shop was a memorial to him. Naruto was almost always found here, in his Hokage work or with his family.

(Kakashi was hoping for the latter).

He could practically feel Kushina's overwhelmed happiness as she raced through bowls of the ramen. Obito went through two; Rin went through one, and Kakashi decided to stop at four to eat his dango. As expected, Kushina kept going strong till the shops ingredients were practically gone.

A young Teuchi was a little irritated but glad for the income.

It totaled up to twenty-seven bowls, each costing more than twenty-some ryo. So, by the end of the ramen binge session, Kushina was _broke_.

Kakashi didn't really care. He could've eaten another ten, since he could withstand it thanks to _millions_ of competitions with Naruto over the peaceful years. Boredom really did do wonders, and it was because of Naruto's boredom that he could eat up to sixteen bowls. He would get sick afterwards, but that was part of the fun.

"Why are you so obsessed with dango?" Obito suddenly asked. Kakashi looked up from where he sat on his stool of Ichiraku's, a bento of dango in hand. The Uchiha's nose was almost touching the dango, and instantly, Kakashi poked the dark haired child with a dango stick.

"Back off," he said as the child flinched away with a pouty face. He wanted to say that he was practically free of the sad memories that were carried with them, but he didn't feel like he could trust those words with anyone but his spirit bestie. "This is _my_ dango."

"Ow…" Obito whined. He held the button of his nose. "Was that necessary…?"

"You were about to snort my dango," Kakashi pointed out. "Or…breathe it in like sensei did with her ramen."

(Kushina's loud burp of response was _gross_ ).

Rin laughed. "It did," she agreed.

Kakashi glanced at the two. Something within Obito's eyes were dangerously close to a certain darkness that the Hatake was far too familiar with, and Rin's smile looked fake again. He blinked monotonously and looked away, eating the rest of the dango in under a minute. He closed the bento and hopped down. "I'm off," he said.

Kushina sat up and looked at him curiously. "Oh. Why?"

"I forgot about something," he said. He looked at the trio and gave a cheesy Gai-like thumbs up, but his expression was otherwise dead and gave nothing away. "I should've put it away earlier but it slipped my mind."

"Wait, what about introductions?" Rin suddenly inquired.

"Bah, forget those!" Kushina bellowed. "We already know each other."

"Well, we don't know you very well as a person, sensei…" Rin pointed out.

Kakashi shook his head in disagreement. "I've known her for four years," he said. "Why don't you three catch up instead? You guys know me, after all."

Obito gave a troubled frown. He looked like he was going to object, but Kushina interrupted him.

"Alright. Come back to the training ground tomorrow if you can," she said. "Same time, same place. I think some sparring would be nice."

Kakashi nodded and walked off, slipping past people and leaping into the roofs.

Obito looked at the Uzumaki. "Why'd you let him go?" he asked. "He's our friend, right? I feel like we're excluding him."

Kushina blinked and sighed when she realized what his thoughts were all about. "Kakashi…is kinda complicated for his age," she said. "He's always got something to do, and when he leaves it's always for those somethings. He isolates himself a lot, too, but he's an introvert. That's just his natural mindset."

Rin looked rather bothered by the word isolation, but she smiled in understanding.

(A spirit, on the other hand, who was watching from afar, got what he needed and disappeared).

* * *

Kakashi stormed into his room, sliding his door closed with a deadly calm before turning his head towards the neat space. He ripped his headband off and threw it to the side, yanking his zori and gloves off with obvious frustration. That uneasiness seemed to have left behind more irritation than expected.

He ran his fingers through his silver hair, teeth baring in the frustration he was feeling. He easily looked like a complete mess and few second later, exhaustion overlapping frustration with a huff. He rubbed his eyes with his palms, another huff escaping his chest.

The Hatake didn't feel _right_ around those two, and he didn't know _why_.

Yes, they did seem to have certain reactions to certain actions but that could've been normal to prior—

He sighed again, running and hand through his hair.

This wasn't " _prior_ ".

"They're troubled."

"Tch, _obviously_ ," Kakashi bit back.

Obito stepped through the wall, his arms crossed and his brow pinched. "Frustrated?"

"Fuck off," the young Hatake hissed. "I'm _so_ —just…I'm _irritated_. I…I don't feel _right_ around those two. They're giving me an uneasy feeling."

Obito smiled and sat down on Kakashi's bed that replaced his futon. "That's your _instinct_ telling you they are troubled," he pointed out. "Rin is sensitive to isolation, it seems, and Obito to exclusion."

"There's _more_ to it."

"Then _investigate_."

"Off of this so-called _instinct_?"

Obito laughed. "Why not?"

Kakashi glared. "That's _not_ my style."

"So you say," the Uchiha disagreed. He chuckled again. "Just snoop. You're a respected jōnin and such a great ANBU that not even a living soul knows you're _actually ANBU_."

"You're _such_ a great pep talker," Kakashi snarked sarcastically.

"Thanks," Obito said in a cheeky mockery. "You know I try when it matters."

"Obito. Shut up."

The dead man teared up. "You're hurting my feelings."

Kakashi wanted to stab Obito then and there. He grumbled an insult and sat down on his bed, his eyes dragging across the room in an irritated glare. "But in all seriousness…" he murmured. "What's wrong with them?"

Obito hummed thoughtfully. "The Obito of here, Obito-nijiteki, is sensitive to exclusion. That suggests social neglect, parental neglect, peer neglect or possibly superior neglect. Basically, abuse."

Kakashi flinched so hard at that word that he could feel the adrenaline stay in his system for a good full minute. His breathing became rather uneven, too, and he could feel paranoia chew him up from the inside out.

"I know you've gone through it in the past," Obito stated. His cold fingers dragged through silver hair in reassurance. "That's _almost_ why you have DID. You were a bit older and the person who did it was just an assassin target but it's still scarring. It might be triggering enough to bring Inu out, so be careful."

Kakashi simply nodded.

"For Rin, it's a bit harder to evaluate," Obito continued. "She's sensitive to isolation. That can suggest neglect just as much as it can suggest general loneliness. But she has friends that I remember, for sure, trusts. So it's gotta be a family-related thing—or…her mother, Nohara Ren."

"She wasn't around last time."

"This isn't _last time_."

"Yes, thanks for telling me," Kakashi mumbled. He hummed tiredly and laid down on his pillow, Obito's eyes staring at him. "It's like what Hashimoto said about bottled feelings…do you think Ren is going through the same thing?"

"Most probable."

"Alrighty, then, we can rule out that Rin has familial problems and Obito is emotionally and mentally neglected—which is abuse," Kakashi evaluated. He sighed and crossed his arms.

Obito chuckled. "Are you sure about this?"

"We've gone through worse," Kakashi pointed out. "It's not like handling this will be easy, but comparing it to other things…it's actually kind of mellow."

Obito blinked and looked away. "Sad."

"Very."

A calming silence blanketed the room. Obito laid on his back, Kakashi's legs going through the spirits chest. The Uchiha's lungs inflated, mimicking the action of breathing. "There's a bug in here."

"…Where."

"Northeastern corner. It's just an audio bug, but…it's a very sensitive one. It might pick up on my voice."

"A dead man couldn't possibly have a voice," Kakashi spoke. He released a breath he didn't think he was holding, hopping off his bed. He stacked things up in the mentioned corner, the cold hands of his spirit friend stabilizing it. His hands reached up—

He peeled away the audio device from the shadowed corner. It looked like the latest model, too, which wasn't too shabby for this age because the device was no bigger than a wasp. His eyes narrowed. There couldn't be more than one. "Anymore?"

"None."

"Rest of the house?"

"Nothing."

"So just my room."

"Correct."

Kakashi huffed and hopped down with a displeased look. "It's…hurting more than it should…"

Obito crossed his arms, his face also painted and wrinkled with disappointment. "I'm assuming Sakumo put it there."

"Maa, maa…tou-chan is the only living person I let roam around my room freely," he pointed out. "ANBU can't creep through these walls, floors or ceilings. I know you can't touch anything without a vessel, therefore tou-chan is the only option left open."

"You could rule Minato and Kushina out, too."

"They don't possess the skill level," Kakashi murmured.

"Should we really be talking about this with a _recording_ audio device in hand…?"

Kakashi's smile was bitter. He flipped the small device over to show its back, where a purple light was flashing. "It's live feed," he pointed out. "Purple is the one color that the Sharingan has some difficulty seeing for unknown reasons. So we know for sure that an Uchiha is on the other side. It's small. Advanced. Wireless. Easy to hide, too, considering we're in traditional manor."

"Your point?"

"Do I _seriously_ need to explain this to you?"

Obito raised an eyebrow. "Kakashi, I used a gunbai, Kama, katanas, Sharingan, Mangekyō—every ancient weapon possible. I used chakra. I use mental connections instead of _audio devices_. Does that tell you something?"

"Alright, _princess_ ," the Hatake grumbled. "An advanced engineer designed this, one from not around here. Black market, I'd say." He smirked. "The one thing they didn't predict was its discovery, so there is no self-destruct mode. There is just the feed."

Obito snorted. "Whoever made it obviously didn't make it for shinobi."

"We can assume it's a stolen item, then." Kakashi sighed, lying the object out on his gloveless palm. "They know everything I've said up until this point. I'm assuming tou-chan does, too."

Obito grunted.

"That explains certain periods of absences," Kakashi hissed under his breath. He glared down at it, his eyes turning a bright red. "I can't decide between crushing it or sending it away."

"I'll handle the witnesses," Obito informed. "You are so fucking _lucky_ that I can erase memories, you shitbag."

Kakashi deactivated his dōjutsu, his fingers curling into the device and crushing it with the strength obtained from Tsunade. "I'm just a kid, what are you talking about."

The Uchiha chuckled and rolled his eyes before disappearing off the face of the earth.

Kakashi looked down, the dust falling onto the floor as he unfurled his hand. He was angry, now, specifically towards the authorities of the village.

He couldn't trust them—and where there's his _authorities_ , there's his _comrades_.

"I can't trust anybody I consider comrades, can I…?" he whispered sadly. "That's…eye-opening…"

* * *

Sakumo couldn't _believe_ his ears as the earpiece he wore got disconnected.

It was a wireless audio connection that was put into Kakashi's room—and it had let him hear _everything_.

His son wasn't his son…or at least, not the one who walks around with cheeky smiles all day…

He couldn't understand it. Kakashi knew so much more than he let on, and he was _barely_ ten. The words he spoke were the words of an experienced, broken man—older than time and sadder than death. He could evaluate and come to conclusions so easily, but at the same time it was done so logically it actually _hurt_.

Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito lived hard lives, that much could be extracted. It wasn't anything new to Sakumo, he's seen the result of living the type of life those two did. However, the way Kakashi spoke of it was of pain—like he was being reminded.

That scared Sakumo. Did it all originate from his stay in Iwa…?

He turned his head when he felt the ANBU chakra signature behind him flicker and become dim. The shinobi had fallen unconscious, sprawled out and shivering. He blinked and became alarmed, a kunai fluently flowing into his hands.

He felt movement to his right. He swiped his arm in hopes of catching the origin of the phenomenon, but his hand merely gained the chills. But it was an eerie chill, and he backed away.

A cold spot was behind him not even a few seconds later, and he dodged the cool breeze that came from a diagonal angle.

His grey eyes narrowed. "Who's there?"

When no one responded, he discarded the kunai and unsheathed his saber.

"I'll ask again," he snapped. "Who's there?"

A man dressed in black appeared from seemingly nowhere, his skin pale and his face scarred. Dark hair framed pale cheeks, and pale skin made bright red Sharingan eyes pop out and glow dangerously in the shadows. His mouth was tightly pressed together, his eyebrows pinched in rage and his posture tense.

Sakumo blinked in surprise. He didn't recognize this man—and yet he was an Uchiha. He grew up playing with Uchiha, most not surviving past twenty, and he's worked with them countless times. He's hung around their compound, talked to them like casual friends—hell, he even _dated_ an Uchiha before he married Kikku.

But _this_ Uchiha? Sakumo did not know him.

"Who are you?" the Hatake asked.

"I can't _believe_ I already used it on you…" the Uchiha seethed. His fists clenched and unclenched, shadows stretching across his face from the candles burning on the desktop.

Sakumo narrowed his eyes. "Used what?"

The man's fist hit the stone wall, smashing it to chunks and pieces. It revealed nothing but another wall of stone. He turned his head towards the eld Hatake. "I am the spirit who follows your son around," he answered. "I do his bidding. I help him make the decisions. I am the motor to this world, and you are not even a _drop_ of fuel to me."

Sakumo felt his eyes widen, shock making his jaw slack and shoot adrenaline through his veins. "S-spirit?"

The man glared, eyes spinning dangerously. "Let me tell you, _Sakumo_ , I don't trust you," he continued. "The opposite, as a matter of fact. I want you chained down and restrained to the point of where your only privilege is breathing."

The Hatake almost stumbled.

"Listen," he hissed. "Kakashi is much more sensitive than you think. You're the one thing that he trusts in this world other than me as of now, and I'm positively sure that the trust he's got in you either broke or shattered to nothing. If you bring this up in an unruly way…prepare for Hell. I'd love to give you a tour."

Sakumo felt cold sweat drip down his back. He swallowed the lump in his throat, but then he let the fear slide best he could to speak up. "Can I at _least_ find out what's going on?"

The man sneered. But then his irritated expression faded, and he just crossed his arms. "However is fit."

* * *

Kakashi could taste the procrastination while he ate the dango his father came home with. They were a new flavor, so he accepted it with a mask of glee.

Sakumo, on the other hand, sat down next to him with a questioning look.

Honestly, it was bothering him. He glanced at his father. "What?"

"Huh?"

"You look like you're gonna blow up with questions."

The elder man looked sheepish. He chuckled nervously, grabbing a stick of dango and eating it. "Do I?" he mumbled around a mouthful of sweets.

"I already erased his memories once," Obito suddenly spoke. "I can't do it again on the same person. He remembers _everything_ you said, and he knows that I exist and that I am here. He can't see or hear me right now, though."

Kakashi felt his muscles become loose with shock. He glanced between the dango and his father with an alarmingly blank look before just consuming another sweet.

"It'd be best to educate him," Obito stated. "My sanity won't do any good here, and sanity plays a huge part in fairly changing events. Your sanity is just as bad as mine at this point, too. As of now, Hatake Sakumo is the only sane person we're closest to."

The dango stick in Kakashi's hand suddenly snapped under the pressure of his grip. It made Sakumo jump and Obito a little bit wary. The child gritted his teeth together. He wasn't _insane_. The thoughts he's been getting on a constant scale feel too normal. He could tolerate them, sometimes he'd bask in silence to _listen_ , but it didn't make him _insane_. Cravings _of_ death were becoming _routine_ ; routine was _normal_. Kakashi was _normal_. He was _not_ insane. He could make a perfectly reasonable decision whenever.

He just didn't _want_ to.

He didn't know _why_ , but it most definitely was not because he was _insane_ …because he _isn't_.

"Kakashi, are you okay…?" Sakumo asked. He put a hand on his sons extremely tense shoulder, setting down his own, unbroken dango stick with a concerned frown.

"You heard what I said," Kakashi murmured. "Earlier, I mean…you heard it all, right?"

The eld Hatake blinked, feeling a heavy guilt rest on his shoulders. "Yes, but—"

"Don't explain yourself," the traveler interrupted sharply. "I don't want to hear what you have to say."

"Then what do you want to hear?"

Kakashi turned his head towards his father, grey eyes wide and face just—scarily close to…insanity.

Sakumo's eyes widened. "Kakashi—"

"I want to hear what you're gonna do about it," he demanded. His eyes narrowed dangerously, untold and probably unrealized threats shining in them. "Will you tell me shitty lies _again_?"

"I never lied in the first place," Sakumo pointed out.

While those words did strike an emotional cord, it didn't feel very real. The unrealized threats shimmering in his true grey eyes faded, but the pressure was still very real. "Sure."

The eld Hatake sighed, looking a few years too old. But he let a smile expand his lips into a happy expression. "I'm not gonna do anything about it," he said. "Instead, I'm gonna hear you out. I'll listen to your story."

"And if you don't like it…?"

"I'm still your father," Sakumo pointed out. He pulled his tense son into a one-armed hug, his cheek resting on another silver head of hair. "Whoever you truly are, I do imagine that I'm still a fatherly figure to you. Fathers listen, and he is there to help his children grow. I've come extremely close to failing you once as a father, and I feel like I'm failing again. I don't like that feeling. So whatever story you tell me, I'll support you however I can because I don't want to fail my _son_."

Kakashi let the words sink in. He could instantly relate. He's failed many close friends and distant comrades included. He's gotten so hopeless at times that he just let a few of them die. He was accused of friendly-fire more than a once during his ANBU reign, each wrong even though some were sent towards teammates on _purpose_. It kinda went away over the years…but it was still looming somewhere.

"So, will you explain?"

The young child looked at his hands. His fingertips suddenly became prune and he felt the warmth of blood soak his skin and soon enough, he was looking at a rainfall of blood originating from his palms. He just let them limply fall, which broke the hallucination, and he closed his eyes. "Ijigen no Jutsu," he murmured.

"What's that?"

"A dimension-creating time travel jutsu," Kakashi explained. "A jutsu meant to be used when all hope is lost. Time travel alone is impossible, thus dimensions, and thus _this_ situation. Some people who are familiar with the technique might get a Déjà Reve or Déjà Vu…but that's slim to nothing."

"So you hail from another dimension," Sakumo evaluated. "That…explains a lot."

"I died in my original dimension, though," Kakashi continued with a quiet voice. "So if I were to return there I'd be a spirit."

The eld Hatake remained silent.

"I came here mainly for experimentation," he murmured. "Or—or maybe to find a new place…I don't know. I didn't really feel like I belonged in my last ten or so years."

"How old were you?"

"Fifty," he said. "I'm fifty-eight right now, counting the years here." He opened his eyes in slits. He only has seven more years.

"You're _older_ than me?" Sakumo said in disbelief.

Kakashi could feel a smile of faint amusement pull at his lips. But it quickly faded as he closed his eyes again. He felt depression curl its fingers around his chest, making it tingle and tighten only to loosen and make it difficult to breathe properly.

"Um…did I…"

"Die? Yes," he said instantly. "You were supposed to die the day I had that seizure almost three years ago. Everything kinda went downhill after that, because then my teammates died when I was twelve and thirteen. I was put into ANBU, and I went through six teams in six years…and at fifteen, Minato and Kushina died after the birth of their son." He sighed a little. "I guess…I kind of _let_ my comrades die during my ANBU years…I mean, that went away when I left, but…"

Sakumo was still, his heartbeat even and his body stiff. He was staring at the tabletop when Kakashi opened his eyes to look at him, and they were glassy. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "I've already made my peace with it…but coming back here seemed to have made me subconsciously become riled up with it again."

His father pulled his son into his lap, a tight hug captivating the motionless traveler. Sakumo buried his nose into his sons crown, tears falling into silver hairs. Meanwhile, Kakashi was apathetic towards it. He didn't exactly understand why…but that was a lie.

He knew why. He lived a ridiculous life, and is still _living_ that life. He's off his rocker, and he was in denial about that; he was dead in his original dimension and one could say he's slowly dying here, too. He wouldn't tell Sakumo that he would most definitely die in about seven years—or that he had plans for the tenth day of the tenth month; or even that he still needed to go out and find the damnedest of beings.

Yes, he had a _lot_ of plans. Almost three years of standing by contributed to that, and with more time, he'd get more developments under his belt.

He wouldn't approach Uchiha Madara or Kuro Zetsu for another few years. Ready as he may be, he couldn't just _leave_ Konoha unexplainably.

Well, he _could_ , be his explanation would be something similar to the ridiculous excuses he picked up and created after Obito's deaths.

"You look lost in your thoughts," Sakumo commented with a cracking voice.

Kakashi almost chuckled, his eyes opening and looking up at his dad. "No. But I'm lost on the road of life."

Sakumo's only response was a frown, and that was all Kakashi needed to get the itching chuckle out of his system.

(…Okay…maybe he could _somewhat_ trust at least one person of this dimension).


End file.
